Rumors of my death have been greatly exaggerated

Assuming me going silent for so long after my last post generated any such rumors. Although I guess the exaggerations wouldn't have been all that great given all the bandages still wrapped around my arms. On the other hand I'm no longer too looped out on pain killers to type up a coherent entry (yes being looped on pain killers is dangerous. So is being in too much pain to think straight. Fucked if you do fucked if you don't.). It's also come to my attention that there's something I neglected to add to my list of things every Runner should own, I wear it all the time and it's become as natural to me as wearing pants so I didn't think to list it. In the big confrontation last Thursday my leather motorcycle jacket probably saved my life*.

I hid out under the amphitheater (plastered with those fucking posters from the Panopticon now) until nightfall then slipped out. Fortunately even though people aren't supposed to be in the park after hours the city sprung for some street lights (presumably so passing cops can tell if there are people in the park who shouldn't be). It wasn't long before I heard growling and whispering from some of the bushes but every time I headed towards the noises they started coming from a different location. Apparently when this guy was infected with whatever caused him to mutate into this Rake like form is also giving him something similar to the teleportation like abilities shown by some Fears. While I was headed for a clump of bushes where I'd last heard the growling with my new steel baton extended it leaped at me from behind and clamped it's jaws down on the arm holding the baton. Fortunately the fangs didn't penetrate the leather or I might have wound up just like him. I pulled my knife with my left hand and slammed it into the Beast's throat which forced it to let go. I whipped around to face it and to my horror saw that my earlier fears were correct, I could see the wound closing before my eyes. Only two things gave me hope, the first that the wound was closing slowly not nearly instantaneously like when Hunter shot the real Rake in the face. Secondly the Beast was still bleeding red. I've met Slenderproxies who don't do that anymore so it gave me hope that the Beast was still human enough to die. It was a hard fight, it's claws ripped the arms of my jacket as well as my arms underneath it to shreds but fortunately I was able to keep it from ripping my face off and the plastic inserts in the torso of my jacket kept my guts in my belly where they belong. Eventually the Beast went down with blood trickling from countless slowly bleeding wounds. I knew it wasn't going to stay down though so I sawed off it's head with my knife and doused both the head and the body with a couple liters of kerosene I'd hauled along in my back pack and set it ablaze. I hightailed it out of there before the fire drew any attention and covered my arms with tightly wrapped gauze at the first chance I got both to keep from leaving a blood trail from the fire to my home and so I didn't bleed out. Once I got home I passed out. I must have been running on pure adrenalin just to get that far. For the next few days I only woke long enough to douse my wounds in rubbing alcohol, change the dressings, and eat before taking some pain killers and passing out again. I haven't heard any growling or whispers since so I'm sure it's dead. Oddly though there have been no reports about the fire or a body in the park. There are so many things out there from Panopticon to the Lonely Hearts that could be covering this up that I don't even want to think about it. My wounds don't seem infected but I'm still feeling a little weak. I think I need to get more iron after all the blood I lost in the fight but I'll be okay for now.

Until next time Stay Alert, Stay Alive.  

*The model I wear is expensive and comes with hard plastic inserts that are meant to protect a motorcyclist in a crash. Those inserts aren't going to stop a bullet but they're great against blunt force like fists, crowbars, and baseball bats and somewhat helpful against knives and claws. Most of you probably can't afford an investment like my jacket but even a second hand leather duster or bomber jacket will be better against fangs claws and knives that bare skin or a T-shirt.

Time to confront the Beast

Its prowling around my house all night growling and whispering is maddening and I've begun to fear that it might attack passers by after reviewing last nights tapes and seeing someone walking past suddenly start and flee as if they'd heard a growling dog approach (my security cameras lack audio to prevent, or at least mitigate, Choir interference with what they record).

While it is still light I intend to head to the park where I first saw the Panopticon flyers. There are places in the park where I can go unnoticed until night falls and I'm certain the Beast will follow me there. The park will give me the most room to fight and since people are not supposed to be in the park after nightfall the potential for innocent bystanders to become involved should be minimized. I'd tell you more of my plans but I don't know how much human intellect the Beast retains (the Rake is known to be as smart or smarter than a normal human but there is no guarantee of the same being true for this thing) and if he is intelligent he may be receiving information from Rake Proxies or Cultists who may be reading this blog. Assuming I live and any injuries I sustain permit I will update after the confrontation.

Needless to say I am taking precautions to avoid being bitten that I will address in my next post survival permitting.

I've been doing some research

Sorry to have gone silent with so much going on but I've been cooped up doing some research while that Beast prowls around my house whispering and growling all night long. It's cunning, so far I haven't caught more than a quick glimpse on my cameras and It only seems active at night so as not to draw attention from neighbors or passers by. My research paid off though and I'm 90% certain this isn't the Rake Itself. I stumbled back across a blog I'd commented on a time or two but never followed. The blogger had been bitten by the Rake and then had the wound treated either by the Plague Doctor Itself or an Oathbreaker with a sick sense of humor. After that he began going through changes both physical and mental becoming something like the Rake Itself. This was the bloggers final post that I had not seen until now.

I don't know how similar this Xeal Stevens has become to the Rake. It could be that if I stab him with my knife he will just regenerate like the Rake did when It was shot in the face by Hunter. When it comes time for the confrontation I'll have to be prepared to counter that somehow. I can't believe that it will have the Rakes full power though so hopefully even if it heals fast I can still kill it. One further update on this subject: Even if those rumors I've heard in the past of the herb Rue repelling the Rake are true it doesn't seem to work on this. This leads me to believe those rumors to be false.

On the other subject that has been causing me trouble someone came by yesterday to "check my cable box" since, according to them, there had been reports of problems with cable service in the area. The thing is, I didn't see a cable truck on my block. After they left I inspected the area and found a camera that's not part of my security network. I waved into the camera and then ripped it off the wall.

Until next time, Stay Alert, Stay Alive.

Being stalked

Went out again tonight, I didn't see the Rake or whatever that was that came out of the City last night but I kept hearing It. Growling, whispering, but whenever I try to find It It's gone. Still not convinced It's really the Rake. I haven't really had contact with what servants It has and besides It would probably have attacked by now.

Saw something else odd tonight. A truck parked by someone's house (just down the road from mine) that said "Case's Electronics" on it's side. There were a few problems with that . . .

Number one it's a bit late for an electrician to be making a house call. Number two, there is no Case's Electronics in my area. I've checked both the phone book and the internet. Finally, this poor bastard has been followed by folks who are apparently big fans of William Gibson. Case is the protagonist of Neuromancer, one of Gibsons most famous novels. So if it makes you feel any better Adam you're not alone.

Trouble comes to town

I was out scouting tonight, in the same park where I found that Panopticon poster yesterday when I heard a Door slam. Now, why did I capitalize that? Because there are no houses close enough to the park for me to hear someone slam their door. Nor was there anyone in the park at the time but me for It to be snapping up. I hid behind the amphitheater in the park and waited thinking that maybe it was that Puppet who had been stalking me earlier but it wasn't her at all. I only caught a quick glimpse as It ran past but I saw pale white flesh and huge fucking claws. I would be certain It was the Rake if It hadn't also been wearing tattered clothing.

Archies Puppies: The Timberwolves

It's long past time for me to fill you in on what I know and conjecture about the Archangels servants. I apologize for taking so long between posts but I've been pondering what to do about that hotel full of Camper, especially the pool full of Ink. As a matter of fact, I've been obsessing over it. So I've upped my caffeine intake to act as a diuretic in case my suspicion that I've become infected with Ink are correct. I've also decided that if I can figure out how to safely kill all the Camper in the hotel the best way to deal with the pool is quick drying cement. That should keep the Ink out of the local water system.

So, on to the Timberwolves. You may have seen them in your home town and mistaken them for just another gang, at least if you don't recognize the symbol of their Master that they tend to use to tag their turf and mark their hoodies with*.

For those of you unfamiliar with it that is the symbol of the being known as the Archangel. The good news about his servants is that unlike Nests, Camper, and certain Slenderproxies Timberwolves are entirely human. To my knowledge none of them possess any unique supernatural abilities that have been recorded, I haven't even heard of them having access to something like the Path of Black Leaves (there is however a chance that they may be permitted to pass through the Empty City unharmed, but that will likely depend on the City's mood at the moment). They don't even appear to be Proxies in the usual sense, more cultists worshiping the Archangel but providing little to him aside from occasionally killing people and thus sending them into his embrace. Similarly their Master rarely involves himself in their business.

The bad news is that they combine the worst features of fanatics and gang members. Imagine dealing with a Crip or a Hells Angel who has no fear of death because all dying means is that he will spend an eternity with his god. Also don't think for a moment that just because they have the trapping of a gangbanger or a biker (depending on which branch you're dealing with) they're stupid.While I didn't give Betty or Veronica time to do so others I've met have loved to quote Shakespear and other classic works. One told me that in order to purify himself and become worthy of his "Father" (a naming quirk they appear to share with Slenderproxies, what's with Proxies and daddy issues?) his mind, soul, and body had to be "in harmony". I'm sure the fine paste the wood chipper made of him was very harmonious.

So "What is it that a Timberwolf actually does?" you may be asking. Now, I'm sure you recall their recent plot in my area to kill loads of people at the circus (the circus went off with out a hitch by the way. I didn't hear anything about a terrorist plot on the news but there was a brief flurry of black cars with government plates and now there are a lot fewer local Timberwolves.) Or have read Paradoxical Machinations blog and you expect that they spend a lot of time trying to kill as many people as possible. Surprisingly this doesn't seem to be true. While many of them do seem to be violent types who don't mind committing the occasional murder the rabid death cultist who wants to send as many as possible to the Archangels embrace seems thankfully rare. Instead they seem to focus largely on traditional gang activities such as running weapons and drugs. Some even run prostitution rings. While I don't believe the rumors myself I've heard some say that their association with the Archangel has given them the holy grail of prostitution - a brothel where clients can sleep with Marilyn Monroe, Helen of Troy, or other long dead beauties. Or worse, the perfect snuff experience where the same victim can be brutally killed again and again. On the drug front they can get you pretty much anything you want, although they prefer dealing in highly addictive substances with a high toll on their users health like crack, heroin, or their recently created designer drug Archangel dust. Again, according to the rumor mill Archangel dust is not the only drug they've been known to mix with Ink. Apparently at low enough doses the Ink can heighten the addictiveness of the drug without creating a full blown Camper. Of course eventually the obsession the Ink causes will eventually lead them to OD and if the Ink reaches critical mass before the drug itself kills them . . .

To sum up, a Timberwolf is usually easily recognized, and poses only slightly more threat than a member of the Crips or the Hells Angels unless their local boss starts planning something big. Easily avoided as long as you don't attract the attention of them or their Master.

*Another reason I dislike the tendency of some Runners to mark themselves with the symbol of the being they're fleeing. If you put this on the back of your hoodie how am I supposed to know you're a Runner and not a Timberwolf?