The Riverwood Incident

Most people call it a hoax, others believe the Government's explanation of the events. If you’re reading this now, it’s probably old forgotten history, a fun trivia fact, a new generation’s Bermuda Triangle myth. I however hold this anecdote to be the truth, this is my story about the Riverwood incident.

It was October 4th, the morning if I recall was a bit colder than usual, that late autumn chill before winter, only a month early. It was Monday and an ordinary one at that, it was Angela’s turn to go shopping, though she begged really hard to skip this time, I had pleaded harder to spend my morning hunting outlaws on my PC. After a good back and forth I was before my digital throne horseback riding the Old west, not a care in the world. As she exited we exchanged love yous and blew kisses. I often wonder if things would have been different had I gone shopping like she had asked me.

Between my game and preparing my breakfast, I hadn’t noticed the absence of my cats, Violet and Spruce. Both of which normally clamored for my attention, but looking back they were entirely absent that morning. I maybe gave it a passing thought as I filled their food bowl, but there were bandits afoot and I needed to serve them justice. As I logged back into the game, eggs and bacon aside my mouse for intermittent feasting, I noticed the connection was absolutely horrible. I tried to load the game’s webpage to see if they were having server issues but every web page was loading slowly, loading corrupted or not at all.Even though I’m ashamed to admit this, even the porn sites wouldn't load.

I immediately began the reboot procedures of the modem and computer. That's when it occurred to me as I savored every sweet bite of my bacon to check the new. As I grabbed the remote and flipped the television on,Instead of seeing the friendly faces of the newscasters I was greeted by a deafening blast of static. The screen a mess of that snowy particles, though occasionally I could see only the faintest silhouette of newscasters, or at least that was my guess with that digital static Rorschach test.

By that point I about had it, I was about to call the Telecommunications company Spectral and give them a piece of my mind. Then I thought maybe I’d give it a peak outside, see if I could spot a cable worker in his van, trying to repair somebody's connection and thus interfering with mine somehow. I opened the door and stepped out to what was maybe room temperature air. The Sky was overcast, the endless cloud cover with the slightest tint of green. I pondered on that peculiarity for a moment before I resumed my Investigation of the Rogue cable man, destroyer of enjoyable morning gaming.Though as I paced down the street, it was unnervingly quiet, it was still early but almost no one was in sight, and no wildlife either, in this rural township I’d would have at least encountered a tree rat by then. There was nothing,nothing, just unending silence.

As I was making my return trip to my house I saw my Neighbor Jim step outside, or at least I believe that it was Jim. He appeared just as confused as I was, in fact for a good moment he was absolutely speechless.

“Everything Okay Jim?” I asked as he stood in his lawn dumbfounded.

“Have you noticed anything strange, I was speaking with Gary.” He paused and just looked at me, his eyes vacant.

“Is everything Okay, do you need me to call Gary?” I waited but he just furled his brow, a confused look. “I can call Gary for you, or do you need me to call 9-1-1?”

“No, I was speaking with Gary.” He slowly turned and fumbled the door knob before entering his home.

Seeing the empty spot where Gary’s sedan usually sits I figured I’d throw him a call, have him come home and check on Jim. I went to grab my cell phone but it wasn't there, I had left it inside. I shrugged and cut through the open spot in the driveway where Angela’s truck sits. I entered through the front door to an empty quiet home, with only the sounds of its creaking frame to break the silence. I decided grab my landline phone, I know it’s archaic even at the time, but looking back was one of the better investments I’ve made.

I dialed Gary, but all I got was a busy signal, at the time I thought maybe it was Jim calling him, now I’m not so sure. After delaying the inevitable I found the number for Spectral Cable and sat down to give them a call. The computerized answering service guided me through the prompts giving me a notification that the lines may be busy if there was an outage, but to my surprise, I landed a representative immediately. This is how the conversation went as well as I can recall.

“ Hello this Is Joel with Spectral Cable how can I help you today?”

“ Hi Joel,I’m Sebastian , I have been having serious connection issues. I already rebooted everything so we can skip that, but is there an outage in my area?”

“Alright, I’m sorry you’re having problems with our services hopefully I can get you the help you need.” There was a brief pause as I heard him type on the computer, he probably had my number up and was able to look up the account that way.

“You're from Riverwood?” He said, his voice dropped in a disconcerting manner.

“Yes, on the west side of Riverwood, is there something I should know? Is there an outage in Riverwood?”

“Did you receive a Government Message on your phone?”

“A what?”

“ To answer your question, there have been service issues in your area but none of the workers we sent have responded back yet. I know this is strange but have you looked at your cell phone.”

“ No but I can…”

“Go ahead I’ll stay on the line.”

I paused in disbelief , that morning just continued to become more unsettling. I set the phone down on the counter and made my way to the bedroom, as I approached it I heard this loud humming. My phone which was sitting on my nightstand had vibrated itself onto the carpeted floor below. As I grabbed it off the ground I could see clearly sprawled on the screen in bold white letters upon an emergency notification.

“ THIS IS A FEDERAL EMERGENCY MESSAGE-LOCK ALL DOORS AND WINDOWS. DO NOT LEAVE YOUR HOME. REMAIN CALM, STAY INSIDE AND AWAIT FURTHER INSTRUCTION.”

My full stomach sank and the immediate confirmation of the uneasy feeling I had the entire morning. This brought forward nauseating convulsions that I fought them back and in a tense and paranoid state I returned to the kitchen and grabbed the phone. In a uneasy quiet voice I replied.“I Received the message…”

“Sebastian, I’m going to stay on the line with you while we try and figure this out. I have spoken with 3 other callers in your are this morning and all of them left me on the line in silence. I spoke with a Jim earlier, but he had left me when his husband came home and then never hung up, that was an hour ago. This isn't my job, I know but, I’ve been checking the news and its saying the federal Government has a quarantine in your area. I just don’t feel right leaving you alone, I wouldn't want to be alone. Is there anyone else in the house with you?”

I sat there at the counter bewildered, did he just mention Gary and Jim? Why is he telling me this? Is Angela Okay?

“Sebastian are you still with me?”

“Yeah, sorry this is a lot to take in. I’m alone right now, my wife went shopping.”“Alright, I’m going to stay on the line with you, I’ll update you whenever I hear something going on.”

“ Won’t you get in trouble?”

“This is a part time job Sebastian, I’m not worried about it, you don't have to be either. So have you noticed anything strange or gone outside.”“I did go outside, I was seeing if there a cable man working down the road but there was nothing I did see Jim though, he is my neighbor two doors down. Small town.”

“Was he okay?”

“I guess, I mean, he was out of it, said he was talking to Gary.”

“Well that’s good to hear.”

“What does the weather website say about my area, like the temperature.”

“I’ll look that up for you,” a few moment of waiting a few clicks of the keyboard. “Forty degrees Fahrenheit outside.”

“What?”

“That is what it says Sebastian.”

“It had to be Seventy outside.”

“I don’t know what to tell you, weird morning. Jim had mentioned his dog was acting strange do you have any pets.”

“Two cats.”

“They doing alright?”

“I guess, I hadn't really payed attention, I haven't seen them at all this morning.”

“Do they normally hide like that.”

“No they are rather extroverted cats if I had to describe them.”

“Jim said their German Shepherd Jager was hiding under the bed.”

“That is strange, that dog is brave, it stopped a home intruder a couple years ago.”

“I think we can mark that up to the weird morning checklist.”

Then as we discussed any other peculiarity I noticed a figure move past the window, just the top of their head.Long brown hair, maybe five foot six, a lot like Angela if I had to guess in that moment.

“I saw something outside my window.”

“If you want to check it out, I’ll be here, just don’t go outside.”

I set it on the counter and began looking through the windows into the pale green lit neighborhood. Nothing, no one, in a moment of clarity I walked to my door and heard a jangling on the knob. Without hesitation I darted to the door, seeing the shape of the figure as I passed by the front window. I locked it before it could fully turn the knob.

“ Let me inside Honey,It’s cold outside.” Angela said.

For a brief moment I had the urge to open that door, it was her voice after all, but something inside of me, hesitated and that hesitation allowed me a moment to think.

“Where is your truck love?” I asked.

My mind began racing, what kind of nightmare was this. It sounds like her, as far as I’ve seen it looked like her but if it was Angela where is her truck? I never heard it,and I always hear that beast pull up and my Pavlovian response to help get the groceries,there was none of that.

“Don’t be silly, let me in it’s cold outside.”This wasn’t Angela, this couldn't be Angela, and I remember Joel saying Gary came to Jim, but walking back home Gary’s sedan was there. I felt like vomiting and the stress of the situation, the anxiety and confusion of this mess brought me to tears, I was breaking down.

“Let me in Honey It’s cold outside.”

“ I’m not dressed, let me get dressed.”

“Okay” it muttered flatly.

Then I could see it just stop moving, just its frozen silhouette on the frosted glass of the front door, motionless. I knew it wasn't Angela, Angela has seen me naked, seen me on the toilet, seen me in all manner of inglorious positions, Angela wouldn't give two fucks about me being in my pajamas. I made my way to Joel.

“My wife is outside.”

“Is she okay?”

“It’s not my Wife.”

“Didn’t you say, she was outside?”

“Yes but it isn't her.”

“So you mean a doppelganger, someone... “ he paused for a moment, probably taking in the absurdity of the moment. “Something that looks like her?”

My voice cracking under the pressure of a subdued sob, “Yes”.

“Did you lock the windows?”

I dropped the phone on the counter it rattled as I sprinted to the front window. I could see the figure wrenching it’s body as it tried to crawl through the opening at the bottom. With eyes blurred I shoved it’s head and shoulder out the window, her arm, grasping on the molding of the windowsill. In a panic a slammed the the window on it’s arm. The sound it made, no words could possibly describe it. This unearthly combination of shrill and radio static, with undertones of a gurgling base, is the closest I could describe it, but I knew at this moment, this was life or death.

It recoiled and drew its arm out, Angela's face looking up at me through the window, vacant expression, mouth agape. I could see it’s teeth, jagged razors behind a veneer of human teeth surrounded by this grayish blue gums. Then with inhuman speed it began to move to the North side of the house. As I got to the next window again it was trying to claw its way through. I again managed to evict this thing from my home. One by one in rapid succession I ran to each window sealing it and then heading upstairs where as I locked the final window. I could see it in the corner of my vision crawl p o the window on he other side of the bedroom. I heard it begin o thrash a that window and upon the third hit it shattered. Bolting to the door way I shut it. I saw it fumble the door knob and I ran downstairs. I grabbed the phone, and a kitchen knife. Then I fled into the Guest bedroom downstairs and locked the door. I crawled under my bed to see Violet and Spruce huddled in the corner, hair on end. I took position knife ready and whispered to Joel.

“It tried to come inside,I locked everything but it broke through a window, I’m hiding right now.”

“ Well then you don’t need to say anything I’m here, to keep you company.”

Joel proceeded to tell me the news stories about the quarantine, a chemical transport crashed in town leading to a toxic miasma moving through town, until they can clean it out it’s quarantined. We knew that at the very least that wasn't the truth. I listened carefully as the creature paced about my home. Aimlessly I could hear it walk, until it got to the guest bedroom door, It stayed there for a while listening, but I didn't utter a word. Meanwhile Joel kept me up to date, telling me about the previous calls he had this morning and glad that he could help. Eventually the creature left, Joel told me an hour later the Government lifted the Quarantine. Soon a message came to my phone that the Emergency was over, and Joel got my services up and running, I asked him his contact information but he preferred to go on with life and try to forget what happened. It’s something I can understand.

I checked the bedroom window to find it shattered and coated in a green ichor. Using the strongest cleaning chemicals I had. I sterilized the and removed any trace of that vile creature from my home. With nothing left to do I sat outside waiting, looking at the greenish overcast sky.

The rest of the day and night I sat in the empty spot of my driveway as I saw military hummers patrol through. I waited for Angela to come home, the wait was for naught, that spot remained empty. The Government says she died in the chemical spill along with Gary and Jim, but I know damn well that wasn’t the case. I’ll never get the answers I need, but maybe someday, whoever reads this, you may learn what really happened in River-wood October 4th, 2018.