Texas
3 September, 1999 / 4am: We leave for Flagstaff in one hour. I am leaving Reese and Sidney here for the time being to settle the Platnum Cross and help Erik [the Dallas House Precept] put his House back together. There is something much more diabolical afoot than a group of shadow satanists dicing cattle. I expect them to join us in a day or two. I had a premonition last night, just before Talib brought me his request for aid. My discomfort about this case has grown exponentially since then, but I feel that our refusal would add fuel to the problem. The killer I am positioning my team to face is not human. It is evil incarnate and I have no doubt this test will be a formidable one.
Arizona
4 September, 1999 / 5pm: Ravyn checked in a short time ago. The situation in Botswana is worsening. I will not take my people into the middle of an escalating conflict. While the information Ravyn was sent to retrieve is invaluable, I will not risk her safty even at the behest of the Triumverate. I instructed her to clean up what she could and secure the area. She is to head back immediately. I am anticipating her arrival by the end of the week.
The situation here is worse than I anticipated. The feelings I have harbored have not dissipated. Dread hangs in the air here, anticipation of something... menacing. The Police Department has managed a minor miracle in the media blackout they have established. Talib's connection to Detective M***** is the only reason we have been allowed any access at all. What we walked into was a station of terrified men. They are equipted to deal with mundane problems in life. They are, however, severely unequipt to deal with unnatural phenominon. Not everything on this earth follows our physical laws, not everything can be measured with scientific theory. We are working with good people, but they are out of their element and I fear for their safty. My greatest hope is that we ourselves are not in over our heads. My team has never faced anything quite like this before. I sincerely hope that we are up to this challenge.
5 September, 1999 / 7pm: We have just finished the tour of the eleven sites. Anything with a flame powerful enough to consume a body should, you would imagine, leave some trace of its presence. We saw clearly the chalk outlines on the pavement where the corpses were found. The bodies could not have been moved in their condition. But, in all eleven sites, we found the same evidence - that is, none. There were no scorch marks on the pavement anywhere near the corpses. No accelerant. No fingerprints, tire marks, or anything else that could be remotely considered a clue. None of this fits. This type of serial killer is usually in it for the glory of the kill and the recognition he receives, but in this case there is nothing. No trophies were taken that we can establish, no other motive is apparent. I have collaborated with a profiler to see what we could determine, and the result is still the same: none of the pieces fit. I cannot remember previously being this frustrated. Bryn is working on the note we believe the killer left in the first victim's home. Again, no fingerprints, nothing to tie it anywhere. This just does not make sense.
6 September, 1999 / 9pm: The police found another note today. This one was written on the back of the door of the last victim's bedroom. I gave it to Bryn, but she seems rather distracted today. I hope the death of her friend will not interfere with the task at hand. She will have plenty of time to grieve after we finish this.
8 September, 1999 / 2pm: Talib brought me an interesting theory. He has deciphered Bryn's scribbles and I believe he may be on to something. He has gone to visit the local diocese. Bryn, herself, has disappeared again. I have no idea what has gotten into her. She has never displayed such carelessness and lack of responsibility. Reese and Sidney just arrived at the airport; Sidney should be joining us within the hour, Reese is assigned to Bryn at the moment. Discovering her whereabouts is a priority. I hope to all the powers that be that she is safe, I would not have her on my conscience as well.
9 September, 1999 / 10pm: Reese found Bryn's journal at the hotel desk. Her last entry was bizzarre. The corpse found this morning makes twelve, all told. The ritual of purification that Talib found at the diocese is a precursor to gehenna, the end of the world. It can only be proformed by the most powerful good or evil. It is a demon we are facing, a stronger one than any we have seen before. I fear we may already be too late. I fear he has chosen his thirteenth sacrifice: Bryn. There is much yet to do if we have any hope of stopping the hordes of Hell from over-running the earth. The Powers of Light be with Us.
10 September, 1999 / 7pm: The night of the demon is over. His reign is ended. Blessed we be. The hellspawn are tucked safely away for the time being. Yet, how can I feel elated, triumphant, when I am responsible for the young woman who lies in this hospital bed? Bryn's life is on my conscience. Her spirit was pure, uncontaminated. I wonder if she will ever be the same? Can she ever be whole again? Evil is pervasive. I wonder too, if I can trust her again? The fault is mine, but it is she who will bare the consequences of my failure. Once lost, can she return to her place among us, secure? Am I to make a fatal judgement because of guilt? While I hope that she can settle these doubts for me, I fear she cannot. I will not abandon her, in any event. It seems to me that Reese has been struck by this as deeply as Bryn. Not until this moment did I realize the extent to which he cares for her. I believe to lose her would be to lose them both, a cost I am not prepared to pay. Not ever.
Case Reference Number: 1024
Case Status: Closed
The Gypsie House Site - Updated by Dr. Bryn O'Neil
