Case 0047 - Interview Transcript Agent(s): Michael Ford Location: ADF Home Base 5/3/1996 --------LOG BEGIN-------- Alright. What was your name, sir? Alexis Demetriou. And what brought you here? I think I'm in Hell. ... Pardon? It's the only explanation I can think of. ... Well, uh, [clears throat] start from the beginning. Right. I'll admit, I'm not the most stable person. I've got a history of blowing up in people's faces, so most that knew me tried to... distance themselves. Ah, who am I kidding, usually *I* pushed them away with some... half-assed justification, thinking I was in the right. So when rent went up and my pay got cut, I didn't have a safety net to fall back on. I mean, I *tried* to get help- y'know, move in with a friend, ask my parents for money, the usual schtick- but no one wants to help a narcissistic prick. I'm not sure how I managed, just barely not getting evicted each month. I put my resume everywhere, only got two calls back, both rejections. About six months into the job hunt though, I got a letter. I'll be honest, I didn't recognize the group that sent it, but I reached out to so many places that I figured one of them finally got back to me. It was from this group counseling firm, uhh, "Light Therapeutics," saying something about how they were "here for me" in my "time of struggle." Junk mail. I should've thrown it out. [Sigh] But, I didn't. I was desperate, so I kept the thing on my nightstand for a rainy- er, well, a rain*ier* day. They sent me another letter the next day, telling me the importance of community, finding people that value you, building a support system. *This* spoke to me. I dialed the number on the letter and a man picked pretty much instantly. His voice was... Calming, I guess? Reassuring? I- I dunno, it was a nice voice. Anyway, we talked for a bit, he said his group met at Heinz Park on Tuesdays, and that was that. It was a nice park. There weren't too many people, the greenery was well-kept, and there wasn't too much noise from traffic. There were a couple others in the group too, though I never got their names. I think one of them was there for some anxiety disorder, and some other guy was an alcoholic- I honestly don't remember the details, we didn't do much talking, not to each other. The whole thing was lead by that guy from the call. I remember him being a bit older than I expected, say 40s or 50s. And not to sound judgy, but his voice did NOT match his face. His hair was pretty thinned out, he had stress lines on his forehead, and he had this weird scar running down the side of his neck. But, don't judge a book, right? The first meeting went normally. Mostly a pep talk about sticking together and cutting out the toxic people in your life. We ended with some breathing exercises that, honestly, felt really nice. The whole thing didn't help me with rent or anything, but I left feeling more confident and a bit relaxed, even. We met up again next week, similar stuff. I don't think he said it directly, but the leader- Director? Counselor? Whatever- the main guy kinda implied that we were a family, y'know? We ended with the breathing again, and return same time next week. Looking back, he sometimes got a bit... extreme with his lessons. One time I think he said we should *only* trust each other, because the real world "doesn't have our backs" or some shit. That sounds... I know, it was *definitely* a cult. But I don't blame myself for missing the signs. Like I said, I was desperate. Anyway, it was the last session I needed to talk about. He was calmer than normal, talking about "freeing ourselves," though he never said from what. And before we did our breathing, he told us to picture what we want from the world, to really concentrate on our wish. I closed my eyes, started thinking, and it goes pretty normally for a while. Inhale, hold, exhale. Inhale, hold, exhale. Then I feel it. He slit my throat. I don't think you'll understand the terror of looking down and watching your shirt turn red. I felt my neck warm from the blood before everything went cold, then numb. The last thing I remember hearing was that man whisper into my ear, "just relax." It was weird, being dead. I could still think, but I couldn't feel or hear or see or, anything. It's not like being in the dark, or closing your eyes. There was just... nothing. I've never felt more detached in my life. I don't know how long I was like that. But eventually I felt my consciousness slip away, falling into the abyss. |Pause| Sorry, it's, hard to think about. I'd... imagine... Look, I don't know how or why, but I ended up. Waking up in my old room in my parents house. I heard my parents making breakfast across the house. I thought maybe that was all just a nightmare. I made my way to the kitchen, and there they were, putting my plate on the table. I didn't understand. Last I checked, they still hated me. I mean, the last time we spoke was two years before then but. [Sigh] I didn't say anything. Didn't want to be the one to ruin the moment, I guess. As I was scarfing down my plate, crying to them about the "nightmare," I had... {tentative} I realized they were... {trailing off} |Pause| |Inhale| {Slowly quickening} They talked like a message on tape, they wouldn't blink, they kept the same damn smile the whole time, I swear they were always looking directly at me- {Curbs speed} They were like a... like a pull-string doll. I made my excuses and left. My car was in the driveway, somehow. I noticed its clock said it was Wednesday, so I guess I wasn't gone long [nervous chuckle]. Before I drove off I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror. I had a brand new scar running across my neck. I drove as fast as I could. When I got home there was a check in the mail for fifteen hundred with a note saying "for the rent, xoxo." Even after I blocked both their numbers, my "parents" keep sending me letters about how much they miss me or that they want me to come live with them. I never respond. Not when they sign off with, "We thought you wanted this! We're your family, just relax!" |Pause| Well, that was... New... {To self} I'm not really sure how we'll file this. What, can't choose between the trash or recycling? {Panicked} No! No, it's just... We've never seen any... revivals. We'll... figure it out. ---------LOG END--------- Log Commentary: 5/3/1996, 17:18 It's difficult to tell what Behaviors are afoot. I suppose MaR type behavior could allow for bringing back the dead, plus NES-II and NET-II would make placing him at home the next day possible. As for Alexis's parents, EmMa could explain how they acted towards him. As for how they looked and sounded, either another form of MaR is at play, or we're dealing with HaS and HaV. The safety rating, however, is next to impossible to determine. Assuming the cult leader is part of the Anomaly, the best I could give is a rating of 5X5X-L; That is, highly dangerous, sapient, and loose. 5/17/1996, 02:45 Finding any information on this "Light Therapeutics" group has prooven far too dificult. This entity has been rejected until further notice.