Officer Perez's Report

SAN AREZZO POLICE DEPARTMENT

OFFICERS REPORT

SUBJECT: “Nightly Incident”

DATE & TIME OF OCCURENCE: 140882 at 2211

LOCATION OF OCCURRENCE: Porta Rossa, Caraway Road at 2.1 km

TO: Captain Andrew Lewis, Commander of SIU, LSS

FROM: Officer Jonathan Perez, SAPD

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DETAILS: On 140882, at approximately 2200 hours, I was on a routine patrol on Caraway Road, near Porta Rossa jurisdiction line, on standard marked police unit. I had just finished my shift (It is stipulated that I must return the police unit by 2230) when I noted strange lights on the sky. Their source appeared to originate on the town itself, so I radioed the central precinct and I investigated.

I followed Caraway Road until approximately 2 km marker, where I could view the whole town. It was the late stages of sunset but I could determine that those abnormally intense lights were coming from the old castle atop the town. I also took notice of a strange cloud that seemed to emanate from the said lights and, in a texture similar to fog, appeared to be covering and advancing towards my position. At this very moment I tried to contact the precinct but was unable to. I decided to investigate the anomalous event and went along the road.

Much more quickly than expected, I entered the “plume”. I registered that, at this precise moment, I was about 3 km from the town at 2208. I slowed down but electrical problems began to occur on my vehicle that prompted me to stop and restart the engine. I was unable to do so. Meanwhile, all sounds appeared to dull and fade out, the wind itself – yet much more than that. It was such a overwhelming silence that I could swear I started to lose track of my own heartbeat and blow flow. I could not even hear my own thoughts.

I resisted the panic and continued my toil to start the vehicle. When I finally did so, the lights started to go out again and allowed me to see, deep in the depths of the “plume”, what I reasonably can testify as being a roughly humanoid figure, slowly walking towards me. (I can assure this because I was, at the first instance, attracted to the said slow and unnerving gait.) Unprepared and unequipped, I managed to turn around and left the area.

I returned to my original route and stopped where radio contact was once again available. After radioing for backup, I left the vehicle and found it covered in very thin soot like particles, almost like black dust that had a form of red shimmering upon inspected with the flashlight. Most electronic devices on my person (and in the unit) were apparently malfunctioning, including my personal compass. I also found out a very peculiar mark on the back windshield that had a form reminiscent of a hand. Another imprint was found directly over the driver’s seat, but I admit no memory to its source.

I waited ten minutes and was finally supported by backup and medical assistance at 2221.

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OFFICER SIGNATURE

Jonathan Perez

SUPERVISOR

Richard Niemans

DATE & TIME OF REPORTING: 150882 at 0833

13th of May, 1997

            - Tem consciência do que me está a dizer?


Darien deixou-se afundar na cadeira perante tal pergunta. Niemans, o comissário da esquadra, olhava pela única janela daquela divisão cinzenta e austera. Era impossível ver-lhe a expressão, mas bastava sentir a atmosfera pesada que se instalara para perceber a gravidade da situação. Em cima da secretária jazia o amaldiçoado envelope, devidamente selado em plástico próprio.

            - Porquê agora? – O comissário perguntou, enquanto desviava o olhar da paisagem urbana e fixava o seu olhar perspicaz para o nervoso Darien. – Passaram quinze anos. Porque quebrar o silêncio agora? Com que intenções?

            - Não sei senhor. Não ao certo. Mas, ela mencionou o Jubileu.

            - Ah, claro. É difícil de acreditar que já tenham passado vinte e cinco anos. Como o tempo voa. – Disse franzindo o denso bigode cinzento. – Assim é fácil de compreender o timing. Falta pouco mais que uma semana para as festividades. Este assunto tem de ser esclarecido o mais rapidamente possível.

            - Concordo plenamente senhor.

        - Claro que sim. – Replicou sarcasticamente enquanto abria uma pasta que retirara do arquivo alguns minutos antes, folheando-a com muita atenção. – E é por isso que começarei por ti, Langdon. Afinal…

            Darien inconscientemente engoliu em seco. Tossindo discretamente para suavizar a voz, acedeu.

            - Claro senhor. Fui eu que encontrei a carta.

        - Sim e não só. Como eu estava a dizer, afinal de contas, você é de lá, não é verdade? Segundo sei, esteve presente durante os meses que antecederam a tragédia. Os meses que antecederam a aparição deste individuo, Marie Noir, seja ela ou ele quem for.

            - É verdade, comissário. – Darien respondeu de uma forma ligeiramente mais defensiva que o esperado. – Mas, como disse aos investigadores durante o inquérito, não sei quem é Marie Noir. Quem me dera saber algo, fosse o que fosse. Mas não sei.

            - Não duvido de si. Pelo contrário. A sua folha de serviço tem, obviamente, sido impecável. – O olhar experiente do comissário saiu da folha para a cara de Darien, fixando-se nos seus olhos castanhos. – Fora umas ausências justificadas e umas baixas médicas, a sua folha de serviço é a coisa mais parecida a uma folha perfeita. Isto aliado ao facto de ser um local da região afetada, estava a pensar nomeá-lo chefe de uma equipa especial de investigação para determinar a ameaça, se alguma, esta pessoa representa para nós.

Prelude

“Come here my child. Look up to the sky. To the trees and their branches filled with green leaves. What do you see?”

“…”

“You see everything. And yet you see nothing. You can’t see.”

“…?”

“Oh, your eyes are just fine. You see all light spectrums, hear all waves of sound. Yet you cannot grasp them. You cannot understand them. Do you even know that they exist? Do you even understand what I’m saying? Do you even know who I am?”

“…”

“You probably can’t. You are unable to do so, just like you are unable to feel. Unable to feel anger or sadness, joy or love. Unable to even feign a smile or a scowl. Everything in your own little world, and nothing here. Only your cold, dead eyes.”

“Why are you doing this? Do you derive some sort of sick pleasure…?”

“What I do with my cattle is nothing of your concern. Leave us now.”

“Cattle? Are you that far gone? Look to yourself, to what you’ve become! You’re nothing but…”

“…”

“Shut your god-damned mouth now! Leave us! I won’t say it again.”

“Look at what you’re doing! You’ll make her cry…”

“Cry…? She? Cry? Ahahah! Boy, you are the delusional one here. Beasts can’t cry. Beasts can’t feel anything. Beasts lack a heart. And you know what is a beast that lacks a heart?

«A Monster.»