Chapter 3:Statement #1. Outbreak.

(Audio transcript shared by Minna Harold. Narrated by Rowan. September 14 2002.)

Rowan-Statement start.
My name is doctor Minna Harold, I worked for the CDC. I’ve seen so many things, but nothing came close to this. It…happened a year ago, I desperately tried to forget it, tried telling myself it was hysteria, tried telling myself I imagined the whole thing… But, I guess that didn’t work, seeing as I’m recording this.I guess people like you want backstory, or context? Can’t just jump to the good parts.

[SNEEZE]

I worked at the CDC for years. Started as a starry eyed, go lucky, unpaid intern, then devolved into a professional. Of course if you asked anyone in my life, family, co-workers, etc, they’d describe what I call professional, as cold, and analytical.
Especially my wife…You know that’s why she left me, couldn’t deal with me treating our child like a number everytime they got sick.

Anyways, I got called down to a secluded part of South America. An outbreak of a new “strain of malaria” or, that’s what they called it.
I’ve dealt with this before, down in a less developed area, something odd happens, and they call us out. But when we get there, it’s gone, and we go back home. Or, it’s a complete quarantine. The usual routine, horrific images, children crying…Both scenarios all eventually blend together. This case should have been no different, I hopped on a plane, met my group, then got on a multi terrain vehicle. I didn’t know most of their names, and didn't care either. They were all the same, a driver, a few doctors, an incompetent newbie, and some protection.This newbie was especially annoying, she had her hair done up in pigtails, so let’s call her that. Pigtails was looking around and smiling, chattering on and on about how much she was gonna change the-[COUGH]Ahem… Change the world. As if, helping one person would fix all sickness. There’s a reason they made pestilence a horseman, you can’t get rid of it, it’s like war, like death. It’s bonded like a parasite to our very nat-

[COUGH]

[SNEEZE]

[COUGH]

God…Very nature. No matter how hard we try, we can’t save everyone. That should’ve been the case, it should’ve followed the formula, there should have been no deviations. But, I guess you can’t have everything. You know…looking back, I guess there were signs pointing to something hostile. First, our tires were compromised, but in such an intentional, precise way, that we’d only stop and be unable to move once we’re in the forest. Thankfully we caught it before we left. The driver was checking tire pressure when they noticed something strange.
But, we managed to change all four tires, seeing as we were still at base, and started our journey.
It was a quiet ride, the only noise was the vehicle and Pigtails talking, and I mean that literally. There was no noise except us, no birds, no bugs, there wasn’t even a breeze to shift the trees.
Despite all of this, we made it to the village without any other setbacks. This meant business as usual. We helped people, took note of symptoms, everything was normal.We were being housed in a spare home, small, with few decorations. Only had our beds, a rug, windows that shut, and a door with a deadbolt. We weren’t in there a lot, mostly just dealing with patients.
At that point, the only odd thing I noticed was stretch marks around a few of their mouths, along with bruises along their bodies. I didn’t think much of it, but maybe I should’ve.
We actually tackled the disease pretty quickly, some kind of fever. Which left us with 3 days to burn. Unsurprisingly, we spent it making sure the villagers were healing as they should. But, on the last day, a woman came up to us, speaking in broken English, telling us to leave.She looked genuinely scared, and worried when we refused. After she tried to make us reconsider, she eventually just told us to lock our doors.We agreed, only to make her leave. We should’ve listened. The door was kept unlocked, and we went to bed. I don’t know what time it was, and I don’t think it matters, but I woke up when it was still dark outside. I heard an odd noise, so I begrudgingly got up. The streets were completely empty, not a stray, or a bug disturbed it. The only sound was a mild crunching noise, as if someone was eating, and the only figure was a hunched over silhouette.

[COUGH]

They were cloaked in shadows, and I couldn’t make out details, so I walked closer, asking if they needed help.
Their head snapped up, with startling speed. If you’ve ever since someone full of adrenaline, that’s how quick it was.
And they stood up, and walked out of the shadows. It was a child… Their mouth was stretched to an inhuman degree, their eyes were blood shot. It looked feral, the blood didn’t help either, it was staining their teeth, their lips, basically the bottom half of its face. I don’t know what it was eating, and I pray to everything that’s holy, that I find out. It ran at me, that frenzied running hysterical people do. It’s mouth open, arms outstretched. I ran, I ran for my life. I didn’t care where I was running to, I was running towards the forest. But, before the trees consumed my vision, I saw it looking at the house me and my coworkers were resting in. Even after that I didn’t stop, tears ran down my cheeks, and I ran till I collapsed.
I wandered around after that, hungry, thirsty, and lost.
Later, a search and rescue team found me, and I was returned home.
When I went back to work, they informed me, I had consumed a poison. They didn’t tell me which one though, and it made me hysterical, feverish, and hallucinogenic. I want to believe them, I do, but on the desk behind them, I saw a stack of papers, and a check.
More evidence is that I never saw my coworkers again.
Statement ends. Based on evidence found in-

[COUGH]

In the statement, I’m sure she was dealing with a Ghoul. I wish we knew where the village was to see if there were any similar stories. But, seeing as I’m working off of the retelling from someone who was possibly hallucinating, I’m not sending help. However, I will ask the deperatment in South America to see if their are any other cases.

Brooks-Are you okay Rowan?

Rowan-Yes.

Brooks-Sorry, you were just coughing up a lung. Anyways, do you know where Jamie is?

[CREAK]

Jamie-I’m right here, how can I help?

Brooks-Do you know…Who’s that?

Jamie-Your new coworker…What’s your name?

Rowan-You hired him and you don’t know his name?

Jamie-Good god, Rowan you sound dead. And, yes I hired him, he needed a job, I still need employees. Win, win. Anyways, what is your name?

Santiago- My name is Santiago.

Jamie- Ah yes, your new coworker, Santiago. Okay, let me introduce you to your coworkers, the one with red hair is Brooks.

Brooks-Hi.

Jamie-And, the one in the cardigan is Rowan.

Rowan-Hello.

Jamie-And, my name is James, though the current popularized name is Jamie. Now that that’s out of the way, what did you want Brooks?

Brooks-Why can’t we delete recordings, no matter how full of interruptions.

Jamie-Because to do that I have to explain to Sharon why a recording is deleted on her system, and nobody likes talking to Sharon.

[COUGH]

Rowan-Can confirm, she visited one time, and her attitude could curdle milk…Shoot, I left the recording on.

Brooks-Hey Jamie, wanna talk to Sharon?

Jamie-Just stop the recording.