The house doesn’t look as inviting as the first. Perhaps it’s not the house that makes it look uninviting as you can’t see it. There is a large wall around the whole property. In the middle of the wall, he finds a door on which a sign is nailed. The sign says, “Be aware of the dog”, and then someone has added an s to the end of the word dog. He notes, “Not all have good visual skills”, and then opens the gate. On the other side, there is a poorly maintained house and he guesses that that is the reason they wanted to hide it. When he is halfway to the door he hears something and turns around. There stand two creaturs growling at him. They look fierce but have a funny element to them. He stretches out an arm towards them. One of the creatures suddenly lounges towards the arm but halfway there it stops and sits down. He pats it and notices that it’s dirty and malnourished. He notes, “Some treat their pets badly”. Then turns to walk towards the house but stops when a high bang is heard. 

“You stop there and don’t take another step, mister. I don’t like foreigners.” 

He sees that the door is slightly ajar and two metal pipes are pointing at him.

“Sir, I just want to ask you some questions.” 

“I don’t give rats about your questions. You just back up and close the gate after you.” 

“But I just need…” another loud bang sounds and he turns around, leaves the property, and closes the gate after him. Hmm, this seems to be harder than he expected, he thinks and notes, “Some are unfriendly, don’t like foreigners, and don’t seem to like to cooperate”.

He decides that he will get some answers in the next house. That house looks well taken care of. The building is surrounded by lots of different plants in different colors. He walks up and knocks on the door, and as no one answers for several minutes he turns around to leave. Then he can hear locks clicking and he turns back with a smile. The occupant who opens the door looks old and frail. 

“Hello, I’m wondering if you would like to answer some questions?” he asks.

“Of course, I want to buy some cookies, I love cookies. Come on in and I will get my purse.” 

“No, I just want to…” but before he finishes the occupant has turned around and with a slow pace started to walk inside. He follows her.

“Please sit down and I will see if I can find some coins for you.” 

“No, I just want to ask some questions.” 

“Tea, did you say you want some tea, how nice it’s been so long since someone stopped by for tea.” 

“No, I just want some answers” he starts to but she leaves the room. Not knowing what to do he decides to follow her and finds her looking through a bag. “Please I just want to ask you some questions if that’s ok?” 

“Ohh dear, you are quite eager to sell those cookies.” She says at the same time as she pats him on the head. 

“I don’t have any cookies I just want to ask you some questions.” 

“Leaving already, I have just put on some tea.” He realizes that he won’t get any answers from this occupant either so he leaves the house. On the way out he notes, “Some seem to lack communication skills”.

He starts to wonder if this is a good idea after all. No one seems to be willing to talk to him. He contemplates, Perhaps he hasn’t prepared enough. Perhaps he should have researched more. No, there must be someone who wants to help him, he won’t give up and walks up to the next house. A couple of seconds after his knock a woman opens the door, and when she sees him she smiles. 

“Hello, I would like…” and then she interrupts him.

“Oh! aren’t you adorable? Haven’t your parents told you that it’s not that time yet?  Though I will see if I can find some candy for you.” then she turns around and walks into the house. He can hear her saying,

“Honey, do we have some candy?” then he hears a man answering, “I think there are some in the kitchen, why?” 

“There is this cute kid who thinks that it’s Halloween”. After a while, she returns, squats down, gives him something and says, 

“Here you go sweetie and remember to save it until Saturday.” then she stands up and closes the door. He looks at the thing in his hand and the writing says Snickers. What is going on? He doesn’t get this at all. This was a lot harder than he thought it would be and he wonders what he will do if he doesn’t get anyone to answer his survey. He notes, “They seem to have strange customs” and hastily walks to the next house.

This time he won’t give in and knocks with determination on the door. It’s a young female who opens the door and before she has a chance to say anything he says, 

“I really would like some answers.” 

The female beams with joy. 

“Finally, I have been waiting for this my whole life, please come in. I will do anything for you.” He feels joy filling him, and finally, he will get some answers. She takes his hand in hers and drags him inside and up to a couch and then puts him there. 

“Are you for real?” she says and then starts to touch and poke him everywhere. 

“For real, what do you mean?” 

“You feel real, ohh I will do anything for you.” then she starts to take off her clothes and when she is naked she lays down on the couch. “Please take me. I would love to carry your child.” She sits up and looks at him “That is if you do it like this?” 

“Do what?” he asks.

“Have sex, don’t you think I’m worthy?” 

“I don’t want to reproduce. I just want to ask some questions.” 

“Of course, I will do anything for you.” Then she pulls him over her so he gets on top of her. He hastily stands up. 

“Don’t you want me?” she asks.

“No, yes, I mean. Please, I came here to get some answers.” then one of the windows explodes, and there is a loud bang and the room fills with smoke. A couple of seconds later he can hear the front door crashing in. He feels something bounce off his skin and then another. When he looks at the floor he can see that what hit him was some pointy things with liquid in them. The girl drags him down on the sofa and lies on him. 

“Don’t worry I will sacrifice my life before they take you.” 

“Take me,” he says “They want to take me?” 

“Yes, but I won’t let them.” 

“Take me where?” 

“To examine you, of course, to dissect you in any kind of way they can, the bastards.” Then one darkly dressed grabs the girl and pulls her away while she is screaming and trying to get loose.

“Let me go, don’t let them take you. If you let them, the government will deny your existence.”

“You don’t need to worry I bet it’s some kind of mistake I have not violated any of your laws.” 

Then the guy holding her takes her away and he is alone with several figures around him pointing some sort of weapon at him. He feels confused, this interaction has become nothing of what he believed. Not only has he not any answers to his questions but he is also more confused than when he got here. His thoughts are interrupted by a man dressed in a suit entering the room slowly trying to clear the smoke with his hands. 

“Take it easy, no need to be hostile, we just want to talk to you so if you please come with us.”

“Finally, talk is the only thing I wanted since I got here.” And then he lifts his notebook and steps towards the suited guy. The guy screams

“He has a weapon and then he throws himself behind a chair.” 

Then all the other guys throw themselves in all kinds of directions and then loud noises start to sound. At the same time, he can feel hundreds of small impacts tingle his body. His notebook is broken like so many other things in the room. When the noise stops and all the dust settles he can see that the suited man is looking over the top of the chair with an astonished look.

“Now I can’t ask you any questions as you broke my notebook.” He says to the man and shows him his broken notebook. The man says something and then he can feel something hitting him and making him fall to the floor. After a while struggling he realizes that it’s a net. This was not what he had expected and he wonders what the headquarters will say when they get the report. Perhaps it would have been better to kidnap and probe the inhabitants as the headquarters wanted. He thought that it was an outdated method and wanted to try something new. He looks at the darkly dressed figures slowly closing in on him. Now, the old ways didn’t seem too bad. He has to think about this and then he beams up.

Unsolved

Subject:
Sara Danfield, 32 years, Scientist, specializing in signal analysis

Location:
Antarctica, WayNE-5, Research station.

Background:
On January 6, 2025 two of the three scientists working at the station had to leave it to repair an antenna a few days away. When they returned 10 days later the interior of the station was destroyed. Most of the wall panels had either been screwed loose or broken off and the third scientist Sara could not be found. Later when they checked the logs they found video logs made by Sara. The following is a transcription of those logs.

Day 2

Hello Jayne. You are probably surprised to see and hear from me and yes I know you won’t be able to see this until I get home. When you look at it you probably already heard it all from me in person. It’s just that I need to talk to someone as I’m all alone out here, at least for a couple of days. My colleagues had to leave to repair an antenna. You know me, I need to talk. It’s funny that I only managed one day alone without talking to someone. I never told you what I’m supposed to do out here. Well, it was a bit hush-hush but come on. They found a signal from an unknown source and that’s what me and my colleagues are here to look for, among other things. I sit and look for signs, collect data, and then analyze the data. I bet you think wow, that sounds like a blast and you probably wonder why I volunteered for this mission. Well at the moment I wonder that myself. No, seriously it’s a great opportunity and not as bad as it sounds. Ok, perhaps it’s getting boring as nothing interesting is happening. We have been here for 78 days and haven’t found any signs of a mysterious signal. The only thing we get is a lot of static. But you know what? I’m only here for 22 days more. I can’t wait until I get home. You think a lot out here on the rim of the world and you realize what’s important in one’s life. I will spend more time with you and my friends when I get home.

[Something beeps and Sara looks at something out of view for the camera.] Transcribers note

Well, I got to go as the test is ready. I will probably talk to you some more as my colleagues will be gone for a couple of days

Day 3

[Sara looks happy and excited] Transcribers note

Hey, I’m back. I didn’t manage another day without talking to someone. Today I wish you were here with me as it was so beautiful. Luckily I managed to take lots of nice photos and will show you when I get home. Sorry, I’m just babbling away, perhaps I should tell you what I saw? It was when I was out on my regular walks. I didn’t tell you that last time but I need to do some of my colleague John’s duties and was out collecting his samples. The panorama we have here is amazing. You get this enormous white canvas painted in more variations of white than you think exists. Today it was especially magic as there was this amazing light show. When I was collecting samples something on the horizon caught my eye and I stopped what I was doing. Small lights were moving around in the sky but it was too far away to discern what it was. After a while, it grew larger and seemed to be coming straight at me. At first, I was a bit scared but the closer it got the more amazed I became. It was a cloud of lights and there were green, red, blue, lilac, all possible colors. Thousands of different small light balls were dancing around in the cloud around and around. It was an amazing experience, I have never seen anything like it. I wanted to stay and see if it would come close but it got freezing, so I had to return to the station. When I closed the door I got a weird feeling, it felt like someone got in with me. I ran to the computers to check if there was something on the motion detectors. But I found nothing and I don’t know what it was or why I got the feeling, well it was probably nothing, it felt weird anyway. 

Day 5

[Sara looks tired.] Transcribers note

Hey, it’s me again. Do you remember I told you that I thought something was with me when I closed the door to the station after the light show? I know this will sound completely nuts

[Sara leans up to the camera and whispers.] Transcribers note

I believe that there is someone else in the station. Yes, I bet you laugh but I’m almost certain there is. Perhaps there was something in the airlock with me? I don’t know what it could be though as I saw nothing in the hallway, it was just a feeling. I don’t know perhaps I’m exaggerating but several times since then I have experienced strange things. I can leave a room and when I return the tools I have been working with have been moved or disappeared. That’s not all, several times I have heard someone talking, well not talking but it’s like a whisper. When I tried to follow it and enter the area I heard it from there was nothing there. Perhaps there was something in the cloud of lights, but I have rechecked all the signal receivers and all the other equipment but can’t find any trace or sign of contact. Everything is as quiet as when I got here. Then it could just be me who is tired and imagining things. Either way, I have started to lock my bedroom door, just in case. 

[Sara wipes her forehead with her sleeve.] Transcribers note

I don’t know what it is though. It has gotten so hot in here. I checked the air controller but couldn’t find anything wrong with it. I have to ask Carl when he gets back as he is the tech wiz around here. The strange thing is that at the same time as I’m sweating my muscles feel stiffer, like I’m freezing. They told me that there could be some physical changes during my stay. Well enough about me. If I get the days correct your wedding is any day now. I secretly wish you would postpone it for a couple of weeks so I can attend. I bet you are nervous. I hope all the plans are going well. Oh my god, my little sister will be married when I get home. Ohh that’s so

[Sara starts to cry and dries her eyes with her hands.] Transcribers note

Look at me crying, silly me. I’m so sorry that I will be missing it and I hope you are not too mad at me for choosing to go out here. I miss you and I wish that you have a great wedding. Lots of hugs my little or I should say, big sister. See you

Day 6

[Sara is moving around on the chair and looks scared.] Transcribers note

Jayne, I’m sure that there is something onboard and it’s nothing I make up. I will tell you how I can be so sure and then you can decide if I’m crazy or not. Yesterday evening I was working in one of the observatories trying to analyze some of the samples I collected when I heard a sound from the corridor. When I came out into the corridor I heard the sound from the dining room. It was like a faint whisper that I have told you about before. I slowly walked towards the room, constantly hearing the faint whispers. I stood outside the door listening to the whisper, though I couldn’t hear what they were whispering. As soon as I entered the room the whisper was gone. Gone, I was just outside the door hearing it and there is no other way out from the room than through that door. Then the lights went out and I could feel something cold like a soft breeze pass by me. I got so scared and as soon as the reserve backup lights went on I ran and locked myself in my bedroom. I haven’t been able to sleep all night. The only thing I have had is water and today I had to go out and get something to eat… 

[Sara looks around like she is checking for something] Transcribers note

Did you hear? There the whisper was again, I don’t know what to do. I just sent a message to my colleagues to come back as soon as possible. I hope it will not take too long as I want to be alone. I have to go as I don’t dare to stay here any longer. I have filled the bedroom with food and will stay there until my colleagues return. I don’t know if I’ll be able to record any more messages and I hope to see you soon.

Day 8

[Sara looks exhausted. She acts nervously, constantly moving her eyes back and forth like she is looking for something. Her hair is a mess.] Transcribers note

Jayne, There is something strange with the walls. Everywhere I go the whispers follow me, from inside the walls. 

[Sara looks around the room and then back to the camera] Transcribers note

It’s like the walls are whispering things to me. I think there is something inside the walls. My bedroom is no longer safe and I can hear the whispers everywhere. I don’t know what to do. I constantly move around the station, I’m so tired but don’t dare to sleep.

[Sara starts to cry and then suddenly whips her head around and runs away leaving the camera on.] Transcribers note

Day 9

[Sara suddenly appears in front of the camera. She has red eyes and constantly looks around.] Transcribers note

Can you hear them?

[She is biting her nails which are bloody and torn.] Transcribers note

They are hiding in the walls. Constantly whispering.

[Sara covers her ears, closes her eyes, and shakes her head. She gets up and with some kind of lever she bends loose one of the wall panels and screams]

I will never come to you

[Sara gets back and looks into the camera] Transcribers note

Help me!

 [Then she runs from the room. In the back of the room, you can see that almost all of the wall panels are torn down. 

Day 9 nine is the last recording] Transcribers note