Realistic or Modern The Mulhouser Files: Echoes of Blood

[Worthlessplebian]

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[Infab]

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[AriAriAbabwa]

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[joshuadim]

1: Accept his Terms - This is probably the best you're going to get. And while you only have around seven hours before Abernathy's imposed deadline, you're no stranger to cramming work in a short period for urgency's sake.

"Understood." you say quickly, taking the man up on his offer. "I won't cause any trouble. I'll be in and out before you know it."

Abernathy is silent for a moment, as if observing your reaction, before taking in a deep breath through his nostrils and leaned back into his chair in comfort. "I wouldn't expect otherwise from a professional such as yourself." he comments, twirling a pen in between his fingers. "I should assume you know how our archiving system functions? We've adopted our own to be similar to Illinois' to make it easier to navigate and access information between states."

This bit of information gives an enormous relief to you, given that it saves time from having to learn the archiving system here and how to properly navigate it. You nod again to Abernathy: "Saves me some trouble, that's for sure."

"Quite so. Now, unfortunately since it is the end of the day neither I nor Cecilia will be here to assist you with any questions." Abernathy then says as he collects a small folder for himself and puts it into a briefcase before shutting it closed. "There is an electronic lock at the front door, so you don't need to worry about keys or anything. It will automatically lock itself once you leave." Having gathered his things, you stand up along with him as he makes for the door - but he then looks back at you once more with a serious glare: "If you stay longer than agreed upon, I will know." It is meant to be as a simple statement, but it comes off far more threatening than it actually appears on the surface. You get the feeling that messing with this man's trust is a recipe for disaster as you offer only a silent nod and exit his office alongside him.

Returning down below, Abernathy exits unceremoniously as you are led by Cecilia further into the building; large rows of movable bookshelves on railings line the sides of the walls and extend outwards like major arteries of knowledge. Many of these are documents relating to the census, cartography of the state, and other niche topics with plenty of old materials to draw information from. But as Cecilia leads you into a separate room, you see exactly why Abernathy was so defensive about this particular collection. Cartons of microfilm lay neatly organized in rows with perfect labels written upon them describing them with a particular system: Year Published, Publication Grouping, Publication Initials, Year Published, Month-Roll Number. For example, as you eye a random microfilm box, you see: 994B.KN.2-16.

A few viewing devices line the far end of the wall, which you can see are clearly for inserting and viewing microfilm with knobs to scroll through and zoom in where needed. The technology, although slightly aged, remains impressive but what garners your attention more is just how *many* microfilms there were. "Damn..." you manage to comment, looking around, "Definitely saves the space of storing actual papers."

"Yes it does!" Cecilia responds with a parasocial pride to this collection the Society has. "Now, I'll be heading off now dearie. Good luck in your search with whatever you need."

You offer her a smile as she heads out, shutting the door behind her and leaving you to your own devices here. The hand of a click ticks gently on the wall, indicating that as remarkable as it is to gawk you only have so much time. And since leaving Abernathy's office, you've lost ten minutes. But to get through all this... in under seven hours? It's an impossible task. And thus, you need to formulate a plan of attack. Looking through the various shelves of microfilms, you see that they are grouped by decades with large signs jutting out of the shelves indicating as such. You see that the furthest back in time that you can 'travel' to is the 1840s, which itself is merged with the 1850s due to the smaller quantities of materials available within both decades. And everything leads up to, quite literally, the current decade.

Between fifteen decades worth of material, you can only look through so much.

---

Every Voter picks a decade of their choosing to look through (1840/50s through 2000s)! (Closes after six choices)​

 

[Infab]

1960s

 

[Breadman]

1890s

 

[Worthlessplebian]

1990s

 

[K0mori]

1970s

 

[dikdik]

1920s

 

[AriAriAbabwa]

1900s

 

[joshuadim]

Selected decades: 1890s, 1900s, 1920s, 1960s, 1970s, 1990s

Looking over your options, you decide to take your chances on clustering between a century's worth of time - between the turn of this century and the turn of the previous - as a good sample size to look over what is available and archived. You figure that with the advent of greater flow of information, you'll be able to see if there are any more reporting of similar "animal" attacks across the decades. Between these ten decades, you space out your options so as to cover the beginning, middle, and end as best as you could and get to work. Fortunately, the 1890s has a relatively smaller selection of reels - likely due to the lesser prevalence and desire to preserve materials back then - which in turn provides only a few publications to look through that existed at the time. The same can be said for the 1900s though to a lesser extent as you notice a much larger quantity of microfilms awaiting you as you work as efficiently as you can to get through these materials.

Roll by roll goes by as you scan the pages on film for specific mentions of animal or beastly attacks, though struggle to find anything of note in these first two decades you have chosen. Aside from a few reports of wolves and bears attacking livestock and people, said reports come from the south of the state which is far away from where Lucas died. And given the eyewitness accounts, it doesn't strike you as relevant to the case at hand. As you reach 1909 after an hour and a half of rushing through the films, you take a moment to breathe in frustration; little had come up thus far and a creeping doubt begins to linger. Had you made a mistake by searching so far back?

Looking at the clock, you can't help but feel a pit of anxiety open up as you feel the minutes tick on by while having nothing to show for it thus far. But you muster through this by steeling your resolve, dedicating yourself to finding *something* of value, and push onwards. Your fortunes change as you enter the materials of the 1920s, as you come across an article from the La Crosse Tribune in 1923 titled "LAKE NEBAGAMON MONSTER KILLS FATHER OF THREE - FAMILY GRIEVES AS OFFICIALS STUMPED". A sensationalized title , certainly, but Reading a bit further into it you see that it describes a recounting of a family trip further up into the state that is tragically cut short by a sudden attack by a 'beast' that the kids describe as a 'nightmare' in the night. A park ranger offers comments, saying that it was likely a bear attack given the region and the tracks that they found...

You blink twice, recognizing the similarity between this and Lucas' demise. It can be just a coincidence until you find more of a pattern. Feeling a rush of motivation from this, you press onwards to continue looking onwards through that decade for anything else. Although little else comes to light, you do come across a second story in 1929 from The Post-Crescent which has the headline "LYMAN LAKE HORROR - CAMPERS FOUND DEAD"; observing this article, you read that hikers came across a campsite with decaying corpses that - by their accounts - said were torn apart by some terrible wild beast. The campers were, with some difficulty, identified as locals of the town the paper is from hence why it was reported, but it also brought into question the dangers of the wildlife as the reporter argues that this was not a bear or a wolf but something worse. Though he offers the possibility of it being some mythical dinosaur, making his perspective more fantastical than useful. However, the details of these deaths are undeniably as brutal as what Lucas' death had been reported as and thus earns a spot as a mental note.

You then push into the the 60s and 70s, and here things become much more curious. You come across dozens of stories across both decades that deal with such "animal" attacks, but none to the same degree or out in the open as those in the 20s. The father at Lake Nebagamon was with his family for a summer trip, which included extended family too and the campers at Lyman Lake were all together killed. But these attacks were almost always against people who were hiking alone or with only one other person, meaning that either there was a reluctance to go after larger groups or it was a methodical choice... the latter option seemed less animalistic in nature and more indicative of intelligence, which sends a shudder down your spine. And more still, said attacks were similarly placed like those in the 1920s.

Looking at the 1990s, there is a similar pattern as well which in turn provides a final pattern on the map of Wisconsin.

---

Clues Updated:
"Bear Attack"/Red Eyes -> Unknown Beast - You can't help but feel Amelia was right all along, as your intuition says that bears can't have possibly done this.
"Bear Attack" Pattern -> Unknown Beast Attack Pattern - Roe was right and then some, these attacks go back decades and are spread out further beyond Brule River.​

---

You look at the clock after setting back the last of the 90s microfilms, seeing that you had just made it in time with half an hour to spare of the deadline Abernathy had placed. You quickly put the films as best as you can back to their original places, though its likely that Cecilia and some others who work here will have their work cut out for them in reorganizing what you had put out of place. You feel quite exhausted as you turn towards the door and prepare to leave.

1. Call it a Night - You're exhausted and you've made the best of your situation without breaking your promise to Abernathy, it's time to get some shut-eye and head for the campsite tomorrow.

2. Doubt - As you put your hand on the door handle, you look back into the room for a moment. A doubt lingers in your mind: Am I missing something?

 

[AriAriAbabwa]

2

 

[K0mori]

1

 

[Breadman]

2

 

[Infab]

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[Worthlessplebian]

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[dikdik]

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[joshuadim]

2. [Investigation - Hard] Doubt - As you put your hand on the door handle, you look back into the room for a moment. A doubt lingers in your mind: Am I missing something?

A silence hits the room again, save for the ticking of the clock on the wall; you take a deep breath and turn back from the door in the belief that there is still something you can get from all this. Your investigative spirit feels that there is a piece of the puzzle that you have yet to uncover. And thus, you take a look in your mind's eye for everything you've gathered thus far. You have a solid collection of attacks across multiple decades that have been recorded - and imagine that there might be many that remain unsolved or unreported - and you have connected it thus far towards Lucas' death. Whatever killed all those people had also killed the young man, whose grieving partner you took this case from...

But what else is there!?

You wrack your head for a few minutes, pacing around the room trying your best to figure out what else there is to extrapolate from all this. There is no immediate, surface level answer that comes to mind aside from what you've deduced thus far. You glance at the clock again, seeing how short for time you are, and realize that every moment you waste on walking in circles you grow closer to your penultimate deadline. And so you decide to take a different approach, stubbornly wracking your mind to get a breakthrough what what you know is still there.

[Hard (8), 1d12 Result = 8 + 2 -> 10]

It then hits you as you look over the incidents again, realizing why you're having trouble placing them all: you need a map.

You rush out of the archival room and out into the lobby, where only moonlight streamed through the grand windows above to illuminate the building. You manage to find an informational brochure over at the reception desk that Cecilia worked at that held a modern but simple map of the state at large. You take a pen from a nearby holder and begin marking as close as to where you remember the incidents being at. You start first with Lucas' place of death, that being the Brule River State Forest, placing a small dot. Then you trail over to roughly where every other incident occurred that you had stumbled across.

More dots fill the canvas, until at last you set the pen down and see what you've marked down. Every point held some variation in distance from the focal point, but were all in a large circle. You then quickly rush towards where the older state maps were held, realizing that perhaps whatever was in this region was recorded on older cartography of the region. You start with a map from 1994, but find nothing and set it aside before heading back in time further with the next map. 1979, 1976, 1972, 1968, 1963, 1961... nothing stands out at first as it appears to be either state parks or complete wilderness. It's then you pull out a map from 1950 and scan the same region... at first, everything seems the same as with the other maps. But then...

"Holy shit." you mutter to yourself as you trace your finger across the laminated paper slowly towards the epicentre. A small black dot, with a few roads leading in and out of it, traces itself with a single name: Sherbrooke.

---

Clue Updated:
Unknown Beast Attack Pattern -> Sherbrooke - A town that disappeared off the maps after the 50s, and is situated at the centre of nearly all the attacks you've come across. Whatever is happening is originating from this place.​

---

You glance over to the closest clock and realize that it's coming down to the wire, and you rush to put the maps back in their places before heading for the front door. With seconds to spare, you bound out of the building and shut the door behind you with anxious breaths. You hear the click of an electric lock come into play, and in turn you let out a sigh of relief from all this. Not only have you found something new from all this, but you also managed to - if only barely - not break your promise to Abernathy. As you walk to your rental car, you can't help but wonder what this town is and its circumstances. What happened to Sherbrooke? Did some beast take up refuge in a ghost town? And why only recently?

For the time being, you find yourself unwilling to think any more about this and instead look forward to the comforts of a hotel bed as you drive off into the night...

-+-+- End of Chapter 1 -+-+-​

 

[joshuadim]

​

You toss and turn throughout the night, finding it hard to sleep from the excitement of your discovery... it's the same feeling that you've gotten back when you worked for the Tribune and made breakthroughs in your investigative stories. Back then, it was to expose corruption or find the truth for a tragedy that unfolded like with those dockworkers you avenged through publication against the negligence and ignorance of their employer. It's a nice feeling, especially now as you've taken closer steps to uncovering something behind Lucas' death and in turn bring answers for his grieving partner. It's a nostalgic feeling that has you reminiscing about the good old days back in the office, but it also prevents you from getting that shut-eye that you need. And soon enough, that nostalgia then turns to trying to answer questions...

What killed him? you wonder, turning over to your other side and shifting your pillow amidst the darkness. What killed all those people? If you could capture a photograph of whatever this is, you would be able to prove all of this. In the name of everyone who had died in freak 'bear attacks' across the decades. This is no longer just about Lucas, but a pattern of deaths that goes back for the better part of a century. But... what would you photograph in that case? You ponder it for a moment, wondering what exactly it could be that you would stumble across. Your mind continues to race, conjuring up flashes of answers that quickly dissipate as sleep starts to come over you like a heavy blanket.

You feel the strength leave your body as you continue to wonder about the possibilities... a new species of bear? A new species altogether? ...a Monster? The latter causes your imagination to conjure up vivid and strange images of nightmarish creatures that nobody has ever though to imagine before. The possibility is outlandish... would anyone take you seriously for saying that this is the work of something from legends?

Your thoughts are cut short as you find yourself still awake, but unable to move... your limbs have fallen asleep, leaving only your eyes able to move. And you can't vocalize as you feel something pressure the mattress at the far end of the bed. Something heavy walks atop you, leaving you in terror as you try your best to see what is menacing you. In the corner of your vision, within the pale moonlight, you see fangs and claws grow closer. You want to scream-

...

An alarm chirps in the air as you jolt awake in a cold sweat, breathing heavily as you look at your surroundings. The early morning light shines through your window as you realize that you aren't in any danger and your body begins to calm down from the sheer panic of what seemed to be so vivid. Sleep paralysis is a bitch, especially with a hyperactive mind like yours, as you pinch the bridge of your nose and take a deep breath before getting ready for the day. After a quick shower you gather your belongings and head for the hotel lobby, where you decide to quickly have breakfast there. It's complementary, so why not?

There's a fairly large array of food available to choose from to cater to a wide range of tastes...

---

1. Simple - You don't need much to start the day off with. You go for a cup of coffee and an apple.

2. Healthy - You like to keep healthy, and working on the job doesn't mean you'll be slacking. You go for cinnamon-maple oatmeal, orange juice, and a small bowl of fruits.

3. Balanced - You like the classic american platter, and thus go for sunny side up eggs, bacon, coffee with milk and two sugars, and hash browns.

4. Extravagent - You decide to treat yourself for your breakthrough, you deserve it after all. You thus go for pancakes with sausage links, scrambled eggs, maple syrup, and a side of a blueberry bagel with cream cheese!

 

[Worthlessplebian]

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[Infab]

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[Breadman]

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