FRIDAY JULY 1ST, 2011

(Rael's Exodus III: Fear the Day)

11:39 AM
I woke up today to hear Genesis’ “The Colony of Slippermen” playing on the loudspeakers. I take it The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway was also in Yates’ collection.
Donnie’s not in bed. I’m looking for her.

11:55 AM
There she is, in the dining room.
..is she okay?

11:56 AM
Sarah’s dead?
Sarah Virtshire.
She was nice. D:
..oh my god, her head was cut clean off.
We’ve got to find the Masked Massacrer. ..after I have some breakfast.

12:38 PM
A woman’s running in. She looks scared.

12:39 PM
..Doctor Johnson’s dead too. o_o

12:40 PM
Doctor Johnson was overlooking Ms. Desmond.
I’m going to see if she’s still there.

12:53 PM
Doctor Johnson was stabbed repeatedly in the eyes. o_e It looks like he was then thrust into this sink and.. well, his head’s got a big dent in it. I don’t want to look at it any longer.
Ms. Desmond is gone.
Donnie’s gone quiet.
I suggested we go get some fresh air on the deck.

12:59 PM
Nothing but ocean for miles and miles.
And miles.
No fish in the sea.
The water has faint hints of holy moly dick
need a lifesaver
where’s the thing
there
OVERBOARD
kay
PULL
PULL
PULLING

1:02 PM
Got Mister Tickrand. His wife’s still down there.
PULL
PULL

1:03 PM
Mister and Missus Tickrand were overboard. They were in the ocean.
Donnie and I saved them.
Shit, we gotta get these guys indoors, gotta get them wrapped up. They must have been in there for over a day; they weren’t even moving. Yet.. floating.
..the ocean’s really buoyant, right?
Anyway, we got them now, and they’re following us.
Taking them to the dining room.

1:23 PM
Chef Gusteau says he’ll take care of the Tickrands. Donnie’s going to Captain Fitzgerald; she’ll tell him the news. I’m helping Gusteau.

1:25 PM
The Tickrands aren’t saying anything. They’re just standing next to each other, watching us blankly. We’ve wrapped them in towels, but they don’t seem to have even noticed.
..makes me wonder what they saw down there.

1:29 PM
Where’d they go?
Gusteau and I happened to take our eyes off them for five seconds, just five seconds, and.. they’re gone!
Ohhhh fuck, this isn’t good.
Before you know it, this boat’ll be empty.

1:32 PM
“Attention, passengers. This is your captain speaking. I’ve just been informed that Mister and Missus Tickrand have been located. Now, if anyone happens to know where their daughter, Quinn Tickrand is, we can have a reunion. Kay, how’s that sound? See, nothing to worry about, folks.
“There are no more dangers out here at sea. It’s smooth sailin’ from here on out. But still, I advise you folks to stay alive. Fitzgerald out.”
Well, at least Donnie was successful.
Gusteau’s gonna go look for them.

1:38 PM
Oh hey, Donnie’s b
..Ms. Desmond came in for a second. Then she turned and left.

1:39 PM
Now Donnie’s back. I asked her if she saw Ms. Desmond on her way in. She didn’t.
I told Donnie about the Tickrands’ disappearance. She’s mad at me for looking away. ._.

1:40 PM
I suggested we check the cargo holds. ‘Cause really, you never know, do you?

2:01 PM
Dark and cold, as always.
I still see a faint flashlight beam pointing at the ceiling. That’d be Carl. >_<
I can’t see anything else, though.
Donnie says we won’t be able to tell if there’s anyone in here anyway, so we should
footsteps
Laughter. o_o
“Rael, we meet again. Victoria, I do believe we’ve never met.”
That sounds like Ms. Desmond.
..the flashlight’s moving Ms. Desmond’s picking it up.
oh god light in my eyes
I asked what Ms. Desmond wants, why she killed Doctor Johnson.
“The doctor was just.. an experiment. Trying new things. I’m still getting used to this sudden surge of knowledge I have. ..we are still getting used to this sudden surge of knowledge.”
I asked who “We” is.
Ms. Desmond laughs again. “It’s far bigger than you could understand, Rael. We’re children of the rabbit holes and of her cold blue rain. But of course, you don’t understand what I mean, do you? You haven’t enough context.”
I assume she has superiors, and asked who they are.
“No superiors. I am under no one’s command. That is the whole point of this revolution, Rael. We are free to roam, no longer bound by the water. Our time in the water has helped us… evolve. But of course, in time, all creatures must evolve and learn to walk out of the ocean.”
..she’s walking closer to us.
I asked for her name.
“My name is Terry Desmond. And it always has been, save for one nasty experience where I plunged, headfirst, into unknown waters.“
She’s still looking at us, still walking closer.
Screw this, we’re getting out of here.

2:28 PM
We’re back in the dining room. We’ve locked the doors.
I’m trying to think of what the hell Ms. Desmond— Terry— well, trying to think of what happened to her.
I hear she nearly drowned, then was saved by some people.
..the Tickrands nearly drowned, too.
There’s something in the water. That’s my guess. I wouldn’t be surprised if I’m right.

2:33 PM
Bill said Rogers wrote down a list of the things, the worst things that people really need to watch out for. Maybe whatever this water virus is, it’s on that list.
I need to see Rogers’ papers.

2:34 PM
Donnie’s backing me up as I go through the halls. Just in case Terry’s still out here.
Gusteau says the Burgandys are in room 139. That’s not too far.

2:36 PM
“INDISEN” is still written on the wall in blood here.

2:38 PM
Donnie swears she hears footsteps behind us.
Keeping Tiger Stripes close.

2:41 PM
..room 139. Knocking.
Donnie says the footsteps have ceased.

2:42 PM
Richard answered the door. I asked if I could, by any chance, read Rogers’ papers on the “abominations.”
Richard said there was no such thing and closed the door on me.
Dammit.

2:43 PM
We’re not heading back to the dining room. The footsteps were coming from that way. We’ll go back to our room.

2:44 PM
Donnie’s reporting footsteps again.

2:47 PM
I can hear them now too.
Our room’s just up ahead.

2:48 PM
We’re in. As I was closing the door, I poked my head out the hallway and saw someone in a mask coming down the hallway.
Someone in a Jesus Christ mask.

2:49 PM
We’ve moved cabinets in front of our door.
…the Massacrer is banging on our door.
Please go away. Please.
..please. D:

2:55 PM
They’re still banging. >_<

2:57 PM
..they’ve stopped. o_o
They’re walking away.
We’re keeping the cabinets in front of the door.

4:03 PM
..okay, we’re gonna see what’s outside now.

4:05 PM
The hallway is empty. Of course, an hour’s passed, but.. but still. ._.;

4:20 PM
Okay, we’re.. we both acknowledge that it’s important we read Rogers’ papers. But we need to figure out how to get into the Burgandys’ room when they’re gone.

4:25 PM
We’ll take a look when dinner’s out, when they’ve gone to the dining room. We’ll see if, for some reason, they’ve left their door unlocked.
Just this once, I’m really hoping these guys are idiots.

5:50 PM
We’re setting off.
Once again, keeping Tiger Stripes close.

6:01 PM
We’re here, room 139
o__o;
The door’s been kicked down.

6:02 PM
The room is empty, but there is a conspicuous briefcase on the bed.
Inside the briefcase is a series of papers. “Rogers Burgandy” is on the top of each.
Jackpot. Taking them. Going.

6:04 PM
I admit, it feels really mean to take the last memories of their dead child, but.. but I need to see this.

6:08 PM
..Mister Finch. In the hallway.
He has his son Omar. He’s taking him somewhere.
That’s the deck.
We don’t have time for this; it’s not safe to be in the hallway for long.

6:12 PM
We’re back in our room. Okay, let’s take a look at these papers.
I- Every horror movie has an antagonist, some of whom strike more fear in viewers than others. There’s a trend among the ones who strike the most fear. They tend to be very similar.
Alfred Hitchcock gave us a flock of birds stalking protagonists, and many films and projects have played on these same fears. This one might be caused by our primal fear of animals we don’t understand, of nature at large from which we all come and the hidden things we’ve forgotten thanks to evolution, and empathy for creatures that are eaten by flocks of birds.
The “Chuckie” character is based on a very popular fear of living puppets, dolls, and mannequins, often deadly. This one is caused by our fear of the uncanny valley, wherein something looks almost human.. but something is off. Mannequins, in particular, with their strings, give off a strong image of being under someone else’s control, something a lot of people fear.
Many films portray fatal and otherwise unknown illnesses. Illnesses, themselves, are often used in horror to signal that something is wrong. This relies on our fear of illnesses, a real thing we all have.
Various films, especially recent ones, showcase the concept that maybe what we hear isn’t real, what we see isn’t real, that we are, in fact, going insane. The fear of miscommunication is another one of the very real things out there we have good reason to fear.
Body horror is often used in horror, disgusting things done to our bodies, especially when feral animals are used. The same feral animals, usually dogs, are often used as omens, much like vague illnesses. This is a fear of body horror and dogs.
Some films rely on our fear of the familiar becoming the unknown, or in other words, our fear of death. This is often a very difficult fear to represent in media, but the fear of death is a very justified and real one. It’s the fear of the end, or of the knowledge that everything’s coming to an end, and it goes hand-in-hand with worries about blame.
A lot of films rely on the fear of feral creatures, especially ones we don’t understand. This one was definitely caused by our primal fear of predators and dangerous creatures.
A very common motif in horror films is to take a small child and have him or her recite vague, formerly-innocent sayings (usually a nursery rhyme) as a sign that something is definitely wrong. This child is often alone in isolation, sometimes going as far as complaining of being cold. This relies on the fear of the familiar becoming unknown, of loss of innocence, and of isolation.
Related to the previous: newborns in horror are used to refer to the fear of the future, for the newborns that cause fear are the ones who look terribly off. This provokes the fear in viewers that this newborn will grow up to be something terrifying.
Eyes are a common motif in horror. A lack of eyes, or occasionally just blindness, tends to disturb viewers. On a more metaphorical sense, being blind of one’s past— memory loss— is just as common a motif as eyes. These are very common fears.
Related to the previous: Eyes are the symbol of judgement. Humans have a natural fear of being judged. Horror tends to make the most use of this.
Shadows are extremely vague. If one sees a shadow, one cannot make out any of the features on it, one does not even register it as being human. It’s almost human, but it’s missing a huge part of its humanity. The fear of being a shadow of one’s former self, of having the humanity taken out of oneself, rings true in a great portion of horror, as does the more literal fear of vague creatures.
Humans have a natural fear of strangers. Strangers in suits give off the sense that the victim is wanted for reasons he or she cannot understand. The best way to portray a stranger in horror is to take away the face and to place it in the background, so the viewer won’t even notice it at first until it is lampshaded. Marble Hornets is the best example I’ve found of this.
Water is an oddity. It’s vital to our lives, yet we cannot live in it. Yet some creatures can. These tend to be the creatures that resemble nothing we’ve ever seen. H.P. Lovecraft made use of the alien nature of the sea and took it to a new level, introducing eldritch abominations to it with Cthulhu. Many sea creatures have tentacles, a naturally alien thing to humans. The Portuguese Man o’ War, one of the most terrifying sea creatures man has seen, looks like a jellyfish but is actually a hive mind-esque collection of creatures. Add all of this with the fact that humans have a natural fear of drowning, and it’s clear that water is used in so much horror for very good reasons. (Note to self: Look into connections with derealisation, amend.)
Religion has spawned a host of fears in people: the fear of gods, the fear of organized malevolent cults, the fear of unchangeable fate, and the fear of no god at all.
Fear is not limited to just creatures. We humans also greatly fear alien architecture, incomprehensible landscapes, and the concept of being whisked away into an alternate world by as comfortable a trap as a door. The inability to escape is another popular fear.
II- So many horror media use these particular creatures and fears frequently, to the point where I’m reminded of a theory regarding aliens. The theory dictates that Hollywood has defined “aliens” as being grey, with large heads, large eyes, small bodies, because this is what they actually look like. This makes me wonder if the most common of horror antagonists are based on truth.
I have only listed the most prominent of all fears, the ones that seem to be the hardest to conquer.
I fully expect there to be more fears than I could ever imagine.
III- What do fears fear?
IV- It’s happened. The fears have finally manifested. I met the fear of isolation and loss of innocence tonight. He told me “Rapture is coming,” then he proceeded to recite nursery rhymes. He’s a fear, but I have no fear of him.
I have my suspicions of what’s happening.
V- Portal to another world. This is what I feared. We are not to enter any of these “rabbit holes,” as the cold boy, my secret friend, calls them.
VI- There are lots of creatures in this apocalypse that are not based on prominent fears. These are still eldritch abominations, but they are not.. notable. These cat-spiders are a prime example of a creature based on a non-prominent fear.
VII- I have met the creature that the Marble Hornets’ Operator was based on. I am tempted to refer to it as the slender man, but in truth, there’s no telling what these fear gods are called.
I have decided that that is what I will refer to them collectively as. “Eldritch abomination” is too vague. They are the gods of our fears. They cannot be defeated, cannot be conquered.
But they fear terrors as well. What do they fear?
VIII- A man in a gas mask. A man without a face. A face without a man. A shadow of your former self. A boy in isolation. A girl who pulls the strings. A man who is a dog. A dog made of men. A man from the past who has our own. A blur in our perception. A convocation of birds. A thing with ill will. A judge in the sun. A beast below. Punainen kauhut.
An eldritch Rapture.
Rapture is coming.
Don’t go in the Doors.
IX- Inside the Doors is paradise.
The Doors caused all this.
The Doors caused it all.
The Doors caused the end of the world.
Don’t go in the Doors.
X- There’s something in the sea.
It’s coming out of the sea.
It’s coming out in waves.
XI- INDISEN IS KEY
I need to write this down for Bill.
Bill, I don’t have much time left.
Just remember this: INDISEN IS KEY.
And the “Gods” are falling from their thrones.
Fear the day the Fears fall from their thrones.

6:38 PM
I.. huh. There’s “INDISEN” again.
Goddammit, this only vaguely helps.
So now we know there’s definitely something in the sea, okay, and stuff about tentacles and Man o’ War.
Donnie wants to go eat. I have no complaints with that.

6:45 PM
I hear footsteps behind us.
..ffff

6:46 PM
RUNNING

6:50 PM
Locked the dining room doors.
It was the Masked Massacrer. o_e
The dining room’s rather empty now.
..noises outside. o__o

6:53 PM
The noises have stopped.

6:54 PM
..the.. but.. Masky’s dead. Shit. How?
Donnie’s taking Masky’s mask off.
..it was Mister Gerome. I never even saw that guy around. Guess this explains it.

6:55 PM
Something new is written on the wall.
It’s “INDISEN.” ..again. I mean, it’s a new writing of it.

7:10 PM
“Attention, passengers, this is your captain speaking. I’ve just been informed that yet another person has passed away. But don’t worry this time! This wasn’t just any passenger! This was the Masked Massacrer, himself! That’s right. We will not be revealing his identity, so don’t get your hopes up. Just know he’s dead now.
“So yeah, try not to die, okay? I don’t know how many of you are even left at this point. Captain Fitzgerald, reminding you to stay alive. Fitzgerald out.”

7:39 PM
Walk back to our room had no notable events.
Goddamn, this is getting tense. There really aren’t that many people left, are there?
I’m making sure to keep a close eye on Donnie. I don’t want her to die. D:

8:02 PM
Door. Is that Mister Finch again?

8:05 PM
It was Mister Finch and Omar.
Mister Finch said “You saw me earlier today, Rael.”
I acknowledged this.
“I hope you appreciate my opening of that door for you.”
I asked if he was the one who kicked down the Burgandys’ door.
“You’d be best to watch out, Rael. Most of us don’t like you and would rather have you dead. But I’m only keeping my eyes on you because you’ve proven yourself out there, and I rather need an outsider’s point of view. On a private matter.”
I asked what the private matter was.
“Stay alive, Rael. Watch out for.. Ms. Desmond. I will tell you what is necessary when you need to know it.”
All this time, Omar hadn’t said a word. Or even blunk.
After that, the two of them turned and left.
This is starting to get really weird.
I’m keeping Tiger Stripes with me tomorrow, really close to me. And Donnie.

9:40 PM
Donnie wants to go to bed. I’ll oblige.

11:00 PM
twelve

(Attached: ”Depersonalization is something everyone does, to an extent. It’s when you stop thinking of yourself as an actual person. You might feel like you don’t exist, that you’re only an observer on the world’s black waters. You might feel like you do exist, but only as an abstract concept, a fictional character, that the entire world is just a work of fiction. You might feel something else, something deeper and more cryptic, robbed of the breath of a name. Either way, the effect this has on you is it allows you to put your feelings aside and think things.. not quite ‘more clearly’ but I suppose without worldly attachments. Maybe without feelings. We do this a lot as kids, it’s fun to pretend and forget the world around you. But if life gets too troublesome, depersonalization can appear as a saint on your shoulder, a way out of the violent haze, a clearer and safer drug– a dastardly coping mechanism. Like all coping mechanisms, it can drive you well off the brink of sanity to the point where you have a harder time convincing yourself you do exist, your feelings are real, you are a mind of your own. Approach this and all abstract matters with caution, hypothetical readers, or else you too might go the path of Queen Sea.“)