Day Five (August 19, 1930)

The Vermont hills, usually a picture of rustic tranquility, had, for the Miskatonic University expedition, become a stage for the increasingly bizarre and horrifying. Day Three had left them stranded at Broken Hill, amidst a newly discovered mass grave, with vehicles broken and the air thick with an unsettling quiet…

What began as a quiet vigil under a starless sky, with Teddy Harris and Harry Higgins taking the first watch, soon spiralled into sheer pandemonium. The eerie absence of insect sounds, a strange anomaly noted since their arrival in the valley and even commented upon by Mrs. Bellwether, intensified the chilling atmosphere. Harry, ever the boisterous geology student, first detected a faint, unsettling buzzing sound. This was soon followed by the sudden, rapid onset of a thick, roiling mist that quickly engulfed the camp, disorienting them and cutting off their vision.

As the mist thickened, so too did the sense of dread. The buzzing intensified, seeming to emanate from multiple directions, closing in on their position. The group huddled together, desperately trying to comprehend the unseen threat. Lillian Neill, ever the pragmatist, urged everyone to stay together, while Sophia Picado, the sharp-witted chemist, instinctively readied the expedition’s rifle, though its true purpose against such an intangible threat remained unclear.

The Vanished

The first to vanish was Jason Trent. As the thick, disorienting mist began to envelop the campsite, Jason, frozen with fear, hesitated. Despite Professor Neill’s urgent calls for him to hurry, he started to move slowly, only to stumble and fall. In a horrifying moment, he was then dragged backwards into the swirling mist, his cries quickly swallowed by the oppressive silence. Sophia caught a fleeting glimpse of something flying from where Jason was taken, suggesting a large, unidentifiable entity had snatched him.

The chaos continued to the sound of Teddy belting out I Am the Very Model of a Modern Major-General. The disappearance of William Noakes and Terrence Lazlow blended hope and horror. Earlier, during the general retreat up the mound, William had inadvertently stumbled into one of the excavation holes, grabbing Terrence in his fall. They tumbled down the mound, where Terrence sustained a badly broken leg, twisted at an unnatural angle below the knee. Amidst renewed, incredibly close buzzing, and Terrence’s cries of “NO! No!”, both men disappeared into the mist. Later, William briefly reappeared, hefting the injured Terrence over his shoulder in a desperate attempt to rejoin the group, but he again lost his footing and fell, and they both vanished into the thick mist once more. Sophia later heard a distant shout from William, indicating he was carried a considerable distance away.

Clarissa Thurber, already shaken and hysterical, became another casualty. Teddy Harris, attempting to snap her out of her terror, accidentally struck her with too much force in the dense fog, causing her to fall and roll backwards down the mound, disappearing from view. Sophia then distinctly heard “crunching on the ground” approaching the spot where Clarissa had fallen, noting that the gait was “strange,” “not a bipedal” movement, implying another non-human entity was involved in her disappearance.

Roderick Block suffered a particularly brutal fate. Initially, while attempting to create flaming torches from scavenged fabric, he was struck hard by an unseen entity that seemed to come from above the mists. His forearm was deeply cut with a sharp, linear wound, leaving him clutching his bleeding arm. Later, as he bravely reached out to help Sophia, who had fallen in the slick, misty conditions, Roderick was bodily dragged away into the mist and disappeared.

Finally, Harry Higgins panicked after witnessing Roderick’s brutal attack. Crying “oh, fuck this, I’m outta here,” Harry broke from the group and ran into the mist, specifically towards where the tents were. Lillian tried to persuade him to stay, but he was gone. The remaining survivors heard sounds suggesting he “didn’t get much beyond” the tents before he, too, was lost to the enveloping darkness. Lewis Gibbons was also unaccounted for, his absence only noticed and remarked upon after the immediate terror had subsided, leaving the group to wonder where he might have gone.

Each disappearance was a terrifying blur of sound, shadow, and unexplainable force, amplifying the profound sense of vulnerability and dread that now clung to the few remaining survivors.

Lillian, Sophia, and Teddy, found temporary, if precarious, refuge within one of the tents. The mist had finally dissipated, leaving a silent, moonlit landscape, yet the lingering terror was palpable. With the immediate threat seemingly gone, the trio had to decide their next course of action. The closest semblance of civilisation was Cobb’s Corners, but the route was arduous and potentially dangerous. The thought of seeking refuge at Mrs. Agnes Bellwether’s remote house also crossed their minds, but it lacked a telephone, making it a temporary solution at best. Their best, albeit perilous, bet was to head towards where their vehicles had been left, approximately an hour’s hike back down the treacherous, rutted track.

A Perilous Trek to the Vehicles

Teddy, armed with a lantern, bravely took the lead, illuminating the uneven path ahead. Sophia, clutching the expedition’s rifle, took a position in the middle, her senses on high alert. Professor Neill, at the rear, initially held a flaming torch, its orange glow casting eerie shadows amidst the dark trees. Their journey was fraught with tension; after about twenty minutes, their first torch began to gutter and fade, necessitating the lighting of a second, more substantial one.

As they neared Mrs. Bellwether’s property, a chilling encounter underscored the valley’s persistent dangers. In the flickering light of the torch, Teddy and Sophia spotted a pairs of eyes, low to the ground, peering at them from the darkness. The sudden fright caused Lillian to drop her torch, which briefly scorched her arm as it fell, sizzling her clothes but thankfully causing no serious injury. Beltane, Mrs. Bellweather’s tabby cat with “something caught in its mouth” quickly darted away.

Hope and Supplies at the Truck

They finally reached the stranded vehicles. The truck, with its bonnet still up, stood just ahead of the broken-down car, which Joe Harlow had been attempting to fix. Relieved to find some provisions, they propped their remaining torch against some rocks for safety and, by the lantern’s glow, rummaged through the truck’s supplies. Their hunger was quickly addressed with tins of peaches, which they ate with their fingers, sticky syrup and all. More importantly, they discovered two additional oil lanterns and a double-barrelled shotgun with cartridges. Teddy, despite his frayed nerves, confidently took possession of the shotgun, believing it might offer some defence. It was now well past 2 AM, pushing towards 2:30 AM.

Sophia quickly assessed their situation. They were in a better position now, with food, additional light sources, and more firepower. They decided to abandon the idea of staying in a tent and instead opted for the perceived safety of the truck’s metal cab. Teddy, however, had a sudden revelation: the two individuals who had reported the truck as non-operational – Terrance and Jason – were both now missing and generally proven untrustworthy. On a whim, Teddy, with an almost defiant spirit, attempted to start the truck’s engine. With a bit of luck and a second try, the engine roared to life with a splutter and a puff of smoke, a welcome, if noisy, sound in the dead of night. A momentary feeling of triumph, and Teddy couldn’t resist singing a line from “The Modern Major General” again, this time tinged with joy rather than fear.

A Daring Manoeuvre to Clear the Path

The truck, however, was facing the wrong way, towards the now-empty campsite, and the disabled car was still blocking their path to town. Lillian, ever resourceful, jumped out to release the handbrake on the car and closed the truck’s open bonnet. Sophia, seeing Teddy’s awkwardness with the vehicle’s controls, took the driver’s seat, confidently declaring, “I was driving Queen back in Nicaragua!”.

With Lillian providing guidance from outside, and Teddy peering from the passenger window to help align, Sophia carefully put the truck into reverse. Despite the darkness and the lack of clear visibility in her mirrors, she eased the truck backwards, intent on moving the car without damaging their only working vehicle. After a short, tentative advance, Sophia contacted the car but it was unyielding. Sophia pulled forward again and slammed the truck into reverse, striking the car with speed. A sickening “crunch and squeal of metal” echoed through the night as the car lifted, slid, and metal parts broke. With a hard, precise manoeuvre, Sophia expertly steered, causing the car to “jack through ninety degrees” and tip into a ditch, effectively clearing their path. A quick check confirmed the truck was unharmed, with no tell-tale smell of fumes.

Towards an Uncertain Dawn in Cobb’s Corners

With the road now clear, the trio set off for Cobb’s Corners, determined to seek help from the Sheriff. Despite taking a wrong turn momentarily, Sophia quickly corrected their course, driving the noisy truck through the quiet, predawn roads. They finally rumbled into Cobb’s Corners around 4:00 AM, the adrenaline still coursing through their veins. Pulling up outside the Sheriff’s office, they could see a light on and a police car parked outside, its muddy state a testament to the recent heavy rains. Their harrowing escape was complete, but the trials ahead, and the answers to the night’s bizarre horrors, remained elusive.

Encounter with Deputy Cutter and Initial Report

The door to the sheriff’s office opened to reveal Deputy Cutter, looking dishevelled and rubbing his eye, suggesting he had been sleeping. He welcomed them in, and they found themselves in a small, institutional green room with thick brick walls and barred windows. Inside, three cells were visible, one of which was occupied by a dishevelled man in a New York Yankees baseball hat. Lillian noticed a bruising on his face, as if he’d been hit with a strong left punch.

Lillian, visibly wired and with a scorch mark on her clothing, immediately informed Deputy Cutter that they had been attacked on Broken Hill and that most of their students were missing, presumed dead. She described the assailants as “flying things” that emerged from the mist and snatched people away one by one, their screams echoing in the night. Sophia, still a bit banged up from her fall, and Teddy, still slightly shaking, supported her account.

Imprisonment and Blaine’s Arrival

The Deputy, after hearing their harrowing tale, made to call the Sheriff, but then, in a shocking turn of events, pulled a gun from a drawer and pointed it at them, ordering them into a cell. Lillian, bewildered, asked what he was doing, but the Deputy was firm, repeating his command to “get… into… the… cell”. They were locked into the leftmost cell, with an empty cell separating them from the other prisoner (later identified as Jimmy).

Approximately twenty minutes later, the sheriff himself arrived, looking remarkably clean-shaven. Stepping in right behind him was Robert Blaine. Sophia and Teddy, observing Blaine, noticed he was surprised to see them and, more disturbingly, exhibited a “little bit of hatred” in his gaze.

Confrontation with Sheriff and Blaine

The Sheriff, after a hushed conversation with Deputy Cutter, approached their cell with crossed arms, expressing disappointment in Lillian: “I would have expected more from a professor. How could you allow such shenanigans go on”. He accused them of intoxication and reckless behaviour, claiming Joe had already come to town earlier and reported wrecked cars and trucks.

Lillian vehemently denied the accusations, asserting her lifelong practice of temperance and the reality of their attack. She demanded their release so they could search for their friends. Teddy, equally indignant, challenged the Sheriff’s “ridiculous information” and accused Blaine of lying. He pointed out that Blaine had “abandoned people” before, and people were getting hurt. Despite the Sheriff detecting the lingering scent of whiskey on Teddy from a “nip from 5 or 6 hours ago,” Teddy insisted that something had attacked them and questioned how many more people would go missing before the Sheriff took action. The Sheriff dismissed their claims of “flying things” and retorted, “What is wrong with you college folks coming here and causing trouble in my town?”. He ordered them to sleep it off, stating they would talk in the morning.

Return of the “Missing” Students

Later, around 6 AM, Sophia, who had remained awake, heard cars and lights arrive. The police station door rumbled open, and the Sheriff walked in, followed by Deputy Cutter. To Lillian, Sophia, and Teddy’s utter astonishment, all the supposedly missing students then entered the office: Jason Trent, Lewis Gibbons, Terrence Lazlow, Harry Higgins, Roderick Block, William Noakes, and Clarissa Thurber. Their clothes appeared scruffed and torn up, but remarkably, Terrence, who had suffered a badly broken leg, was now walking without apparent injury. None of the returned students made eye contact with Lillian, Sophia, or Teddy, nor did they speak a word. Roderick, whom Sophia had seen bodily dragged away into the mist, showed no obvious signs of his previous, severe forearm cut. Having freed Jimmy, the Sheriff ordered these seven students into the remaining empty cells.

Sheriff’s Call and Blaine’s Anger

After the students were locked away, Robert Blaine entered the jailhouse again. Sophia and Lillian, through keen observation, perceived that Blaine was also visibly “angry and upset”. This anger, Sophia deduced, was not at them, but rather seemed connected to Clarissa…

The Sheriff then made a phone call to Miskatonic University, requesting someone to come down and stating, “It’s time for y’all to go home”. He turned to Lillian, Sophia, and Teddy, scoffing at their previous claims: “All I smell from them is whiskey. All I smelled from you is lies”. Teddy defiantly questioned if they were under arrest, asserting their right to leave if not charged.

Release and Departure from Cobb’s Corners

Eventually, Professor Harrold arrived, looking dismayed at the sight of his students in jail. After a private conversation with the Sheriff outside, he returned to their cell. The Sheriff unlocked the cell and declared, “You’re going with him. Out of my town”. Professor Harrold led Lillian, Sophia, and Teddy out to his car, remaining silent, his solemn demeanour even more pronounced than before. He instructed them to get into the car and drove south, eventually taking them to the Brattleboro train station. Without a word, he purchased them tickets back to Arkham, stating, “We’ll talk of this when I get back to Arkham”.

The three boarded the train, heading back to Arkham. They were left with a profound sense of confusion and shock, contemplating the career-limiting nature of their trip and the inexplicable events they had witnessed, particularly the return of the injured students as if nothing had happened. Teddy’s nerves were frayed, leading him to try and write down everything he could remember. Sophia carried her finger bone and a pocketful of rifle shells, while Lillian retained the strange occult book and Amanda’s notebook. Strange souvenirs of Cobbs Corners. The journey back was marked by silence, leaving them to grapple with the “weirdness” and the unanswered questions…

Until next time,

Owen