EXPEDITION_ONE.MP4 TRANSCRIBED SCRIPT

Although the trascribed text of the footage remains untethered, the records of "EXPEDITION_ONE" appear corrupted and tampered with; promient with discordant screeching, jarring howls, and fizzy visuals. Despite all my efforts in recovering the optical feed, such attempts are met with no avail. With that said, I will do my best to annotate these subtitles to the best of my ablities.

FIRST QUARTER OF THE SEARCH 10/1992

FOWLER: Hokay, ol' chumbucket. Open the door, your dear friend is here and onboard!

ALLEN: Alright, alright, 'm coming. Don't lose your marbles too soon.

[ SOUNDS OF QUIET FOOTSTEPS ECHO THROUGH THE AIR FOR A FEW MOMENTS. THEY STOP AS THE SHUFFLING OF THE WOOD BEGINS AND *CLICKS*. ]

[ A FLEETING GUSH OF WIND CAN BE HEARD AS THE DOOR OPENS. A COUPLE FOOTSTEPS (PERHAPS STEPPING BACK) ARE DISCERNED BEFORE EITHER MEN SPEAK. ]

FOWLER, (lifting up the toolbox to show him): I got the tools you needed. You said to explain once I got here, so whatcha want?

ALLEN: Okay. You remember my partner, right? Brown haired, blue eyes, broad and has a lot of tattoos on his arms?

FOWLER: Scary Guy Ketts? Yeah, what about him?

ALLEN: He's gone missing. Not missing as in a runaway or a kidnapping, but... something more... unusual to say the least.

[ FOWLER HUMS IN INTEREST; A SPARK OF INTRIGUE LINGERING IN HIS GAZE. HE CROSSES HIS ARMS. ]

FOWLER: When you say "unusual", how much do you mean? Like the eccentric, where he's just vanished into thin air, or the mere unexplainable, like some evil organization took him away and stripped him off his identity?

[ ALLEN GIVES THE FRONT OF HIS NECK A FEW STROKES OF THE HAND; LIGHTLY TITTERING AS HE LOOKS AWAY. ]

ALLEN: Ah, um, not exactly? (stuttering) It- It would be fine if I just... (trails off; returning his gaze to Fowler's again) Can you... follow me for a second? I wanna show you somethin'.

[ FOWLER GIVES ALLEN A FEW SPARSE BOBS OF THE HEAD BEFORE HIS MOUTH CURLS UP INTO A LIGHT GRIN; REVEALING SOME TEETH IN THE MIX. ]

FOWLER: Sure, I mean, that's alright. Lead the way.

[ ALLEN NODS. WITHOUT WARNING, THE MAN TURNS AROUND AND BEGINS WALKING AHEAD; PROMPTING HIS FRIEND, FOWLER, TO TAG ALONG BEHIND HIM. WITHIN A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME, THE TWO TRANSVERSE THROUGH THE FOYER, DOWN THE KITCHEN AND DINING HALL, AND INTO THE LIVING ROOM WHERE WE CAN SEE A TEENY TINY GLIMPSE OF THE BACKYARD[1] JUST BEHIND GLASS SLIDING DOORS. ]

[ WITHOUT FURTHER ADO, FOWLER HALTS A MERE METRE FROM THE DOORWAY; HIS HEAD TURNING OVER TO ALLEN. ]

FOWLER: Well? Go ahead.

[ AS FOWLER SPEAKS HIS PIECE, WE CAN SEE HIM GESTURE FOR ALLEN TO TAKE THE LEAD. ALLEN, WITH MUCH RELUCTANCE, SILENTLY AGREES AND STEPS FORTH; PLACING HIS HAND ON THE TOP OF THE HANDLE AND GRIPPING IT AS HE PRYS THE SLIDING DOORS OPENS. ]

[ WITHIN JUST A COUPLE MINUTES, THE DOORS GIVE WAY. THEY SLIDE OFF TO THE SIDE; MAKING ENOUGH ROOM TO SET FOOT OUTSIDE OF THESE BARE WALLS. ALLEN HEAVES AS HE LETS GO; PAUSING IN HIS MOVEMENTS FOR A WHILE. MAYBE A BIT TOO LONG.

FOWLER: Hey, Allen. Are you...?

[ THE MAN REACHES HIS HAND OUT FOR ALLEN'S SHOULDER, BUT ALLEN LOOKS BACK WITH A SHARP EXPRESSION[2] THAT MAKES HIM FLINCH. ]

ALLEN, (hissed): Don't.

[ THE COLOURS DRAIN ALL OUT OF FOWLER'S FACE. HE LOOKS ALMOST PALE LIKE A SPECTRE IN THE INKY BLACKNESS WITHIN THE NIGHT. AS HE LOOKS DEEPER INTO ALLEN'S GAZE, FOWLER FINDS NOTHING BUT A UTTER ABSENCE OF LIGHT AND IMMENSE DISQUIET. ]

[ SOME SORT OF SENSATION IS BUBBLING WITHIN THE DEPTHS OF ALLEN'S PSYCHE, FOWLER THINKS BUT CANNOT READ IT WITHIN THE WINDOWS OF THE SOUL: THE EYES.

[ BEFORE THE MAN COULD ASK, ALLEN SCHOOLS HIS EXPRESSION TO ONE OF IMMEDIATE WEARINESS. ]

Doesn't this feel familiar, Allen?

ALLEN: I'm... sorry. I'm, I'm just tired, honestly. Don't mind me.

[ ALLEN PAUSES; GIVING HIS VOICE A BREAK FROM WORDS FOR A MOMENT BEFORE STARTING UP AGAIN. ]

ALLEN, (stepping aside to let fowler out): Come outside, would you? We're close.

FOWLER, (a bit unnerved but fine nonetheless): A-Alright then, hah!

[ AS FOWLER SLIDES THE DOOR ASIDE, AND TAKES ONE STEP FORWARD——THE VIDEO SUDDENLY CUTS TO BLACK. ]

SECOND QUARTER OF THE SEARCH 10/1992

[ WE ABRUPTLY CUT BACK INTO WHAT SEEMS TO BE A POV SHOT; THE MOVEMENT SPARSELY TREMBLING AT TIMES AS IF SOMEONE IS HOLDING IT. THEY APPEAR TO BE WANDERING PAST THE LOCKED BASEMENT DOORS A MERE DISTANCE AWAY, AND THE VARIOUS CHOPPED LOGS BESIDES IT. THEY LOOK DOWN, SEEING ROWS UPON ROWS OF GRASS BRUSH HIS FEET, BEFORE GLANCING OVER TO FOWLER A FEW METRES AWAY. ]

FOWLER: Geez, man. You run pretty fast for a writer.

ALLEN: I partipicated in quite a hefty couple of sports a few years back. That's probably why. Anyways, here we are.

[ WE HEAR A FOND OUNCE OF FEEDBACK AS THE CAMERA SHUFFLES AROUND IN ALLEN'S HANDS. THEN HE LAYS THE CAMERA'S LENS TOWARDS WHAT SEEMS TO BE A WOODEN DOOR SLIGHTLY AJAR; ITS GAP UNVEILING UTTER DARKNESS STRETCHING ONWARDS FOR MILES UPON MILES OF NO END. ]

Doesn't this remind you of the callous, cold sea? The pursuit of the waves pushing you back? You've failed. You've failed to save everyone.

[ WE CAN HEAR WHAT SEEMS TO BE A VERY DISTORTED AND ESORTERIC WAILING[3](?) AND RUSHING WATERS AS ALLEN STEPS JUST A TAD CLOSER TO IT. THE VISUALS WHICH ACCOMPANY THE AUDIO SEEM TO CORRUPT; FREQUENT STATIC BURSTS AND FLASHING COLOURS FLOOD THE FEED; MAKING IT IMPOSSIBLE TO MAKE OUT ANYTHING. ]

But don't worry, Allen. If you can just come here; inside the very walls you've lived in, I can help you. I can help you make it better.

[ THEN, THROUGH THE DISCORDANT MESS OF NOISE AND FIZZY VISUALS WE CANNOT MAKE OUT, WE CAN DISCERN WHAT APPEARS TO BE FOWLER'S VOICE CALLING FOR HIS ATTENTION; BRASH SHOUTS OF HIS NAME AND WHATNOT LEFT UNATTENDED AS ALLEN SEEMS TO ENTRANCED BY SOMETHING IN THE NOISE. THEN—— ]

FOWLER: [4]Hey, can you hear me? I've been trying to get your attention for the last few minutes. Are you okay?

[ DESPITE HEARING FOWLER'S FRANTIC QUESTIONING, ALLEN'S ONLY RESPONSE TO THIS SEEMS TO BE A FEW SHAKY BREATHS AND A HEAVY AMOUNT OF STAMMERING. WHAT HE SPEAKS NEXT IS INDECIPHERABLE TO THE BARE HUMAN EAR, BUT ONLY FEW WORDS LEGIBLE TO BE DISCERNABLE.

ALLEN: (?) ...sounds like her. (?) ...facade, it hides[5]...

FOWLER: Allen, what are you...

ALLEN: S-Stay back. (gradually mounting on frantic, breaths coming in short, tardy gasps) I SAID STAY BACK! It's hiding. I know it is. It wants to appear cowardly, so when you're unarmed, it can strike and lure you to The Center where it...
God, Fowler... do you not... believe me? I showed you proof. I showed you that what you're——what I'm witnessing is real. That it's not some made-up lie I fabricated on the 'net.

FOWLER: No, I... I-I do believe you. Allen, you're acting really cagey about all of this. You're not telling me everything; only telling me sparse details on what I need to do. What is...

[ FOWLER GESTURES TO THE OMINOUS NEW DOOR STANDING AHEAD OF THE TWO. THEN TURNS BACK TO THE OTHER MAN BESIDE HIM. ]

FOWLER: What is all this? What is this Center you've done nothing but tease me about?

[ FOWLER'S EYES SOFTENED. FOR THE FIRST TIME IN QUITE A LONG TIME WITHIN THE DURATION OF THIS VIDEO, WE FINALLY SEE SOME GENUINE EMOTION FROM FOWLER AS HE SHOWS TRUE AND PERHAPS PURE EMPATHY FOR ALLEN. ALLEN, NOTING THIS, DOUBLES DOWN ON HIS CAGEY DEMEANOR, AND SIGHS. ]

ALLEN: You've got your tools, right?

FOWLER: Yeah. Yeah, I got them right 'ere. Just please, tell me what's going on.

ALLEN, (through gritted teeth, forced): Fine. Follow me into this madmess. I'm going to tell you everything. From start to finish.

FOWLER: Okay. (more faint) Okay. I'm ready.

[ TURNING AWAY FROM FOWLER'S GAZE, ALLEN TURNS BACK TO THE DOOR; APPROACHING IT AT A DISTANCE. THEN, HE CAUTIOUSLY UNLATCHES IT; REVEALING NOTHING BUT A ENDLESS BLACK THAT WHOM NEVER SEE ITS ENDING. STEPPING INSIDE, THE CAMERA CAPTURES MORSEL BUT SHADOWED ANTIQUE WALLPAPER THAT SEEMED TO STRETCH ON EVERMORE. ]

[ THEN, BEFORE THE CAMERA SWIVELS COMPLETELY IN INKY DARKNESS, WE CAN HEAR A MILDLY DISTORTED VERSION OF ALLEN'S VOICE; COMING FROM EVERYWHERE AND NOWHERE INBETWEEN. IT IS UNCLEAR WH[6] ]

ALLEN(?): Come inside. Come home[7].

[ BLACK. ]

THIRD QUARTER OF THE SEARCH 10/1992

[ BY THE TIME OUR VISION RETURNS, WE ARE SUDDENLY THRUST INTO A SHOT WITH AN ACCENT OF LIGHT GREEN AND BLACK; PRESUMABLY NIGHT-VISION TO GUIDE BOTH ALLEN AND FOWLER IN LOW-LIGHT CONDITIONS. OUR EARS ARE BURST WITH A LITTLE BIT OF FEEDBACK PRECEDING ALLEN'S TAMPERING WITH THE CAMERA AS HE ADJUSTS THE FOCUS. ]

[ AS THE TWO SPEAK, THEIR VOICES ARE LACED WITH A UNDERTONE OF REVERBATION AND DISTORTION AS THEY DESCEND FURTHER INTO THE LABYRINTHINE PATH OF THE "NEW ROOM". ]

FOWLER: Jesus Christ, my man. This place is darker than my storage closet I have back at home! How did you even get this down on yer map?

[ THE PERSON HOLDING THE CAMERA, PRESUMABLY ALLEN, LIGHTLY CHUCKLES. AS HE RAISES THE FLASHLIGHT, ALLEN FOCUSES ON IT FOR A MOMENT BEFORE TURNING BACK TO FOWLER, OFFERING THE FLASHLIGHT.

ALLEN: Well, I put a trail of rope down where I was going and lit up the area I sketched out with a couple of lanterns I brought. It... It isn't totally accurate, though. Because this place, this place kinda changes. The rooms shift positions, the objects get misplaced and the landmarks go missing.

FOWLER: Changes? By what do you—

[ AS FOWLER BEGINS HIS QUERY, HE IS SUDDENLY INTERRUPTED AS THE FLOORS BENEATH HIM SLOPE AT AN FORTY-FIVE DEGREE ANGLE, ALMOST MAKING HIM STUMBLE HEAD FIRST INTO THE WALL. ]

[1.] Presumely the exact same backyard mentioned on the Delaware Missing Persons Forum website. The same backyard whereas Allen (alongside his partner, Ketts) found the supposed location of this "new room".

[2.] The sharp expression Allen makes as well as the overall framing of the shot reminds me of the painting, "The Hands Resist Him", by Bill Stoneham. According to urban legend, the painting was supposed haunted as the characters in the painting moved during the night, and some people had died 'cause of it. Creepy stuff.

[3.] Upon closer inspection and reducing the distortion, the audio feed appears to showcase various voices singing at once. They seem to be a chorus; warbling a rhythmic tune of some sort, which I find familiar but cannot recall from where. Interestingly enough, the source of the voices feel as though one were underwater and/or listening from another room. The reason for this is blissfully beyond my reach, but it is pretty neat to point out.

Another thing I should quickly note is that these noises are parellel to the sounds discerned at the very end of Ketts's voice memo to Allen. What these voices are, and where they belong to, is unclear, but I feel they tie into the undeniable territory of both of their disappearences. I don't know why.

[4.]You may not have percieved it first, but hidden text can be made out in between the margins of this transcript; their choice of language foreign and unknown to me. This block of text does not match my handwriting and/or my overall speech patternings; appearing more frantic and rambling. Perhaps that whoever wrote this was in a dire situation and urgently tried to keep away from someone or something. But who and what?

[5.] Possibly referring to the creature hiding in the depth of this "new room"; albeit more of a sprawling labyrinth than a regular room. If we can draw on the implictation that it was not in fact made by a human, and rather the supernatural force keeping Allen at bay, we can, so far, recount that it is the creature influencing him.

This can furthermore be reinforced with the fact that Allen's speech patterns; more specifically his change in tone is vastly different from the way he usually speaks: it is almost raspy and sharp in tone, almost like a deceased loved one back from the dead. Whatever it is, it's trying to do something and that thing is what happened to Ketts.

[6.] Strange. This intervel of passange cuts off midsentance.

Oh, Sean, always too curious for your own good.

[7.] For reasons worth note-taking, there has been mounts upon mounts of disjointed, illegible text littering the transcript of "EXPEDITION_ONE.MP4" all with the same blue color that this "Center" Allen and Fowler seem to chat about here. Attempting of transcribing this blue text has been all but unsuccessful. But it is fascianting to know why this is here. Is the creature trying to communicate with us? And why? Does it want us to find Allen, Fowler and Ketts? Whatever the reason, it needs us.