Chapter 2 – Forbidden Acquisition

Thank you to those of you who reached out with your own experiences, theories and stories. I woke up to over a hundred messages from people who said they remembered the network, listing shows I’d never even heard of and strange after-effects.

But one thing was always in common; they remembered JJ Watson.

And they remembered the things he said to them.

As some of you have caught on, JJ knew things that he shouldn’t, had access to information nobody should have from a pre-recorded show. He knew things about Preston and he knew things about us.

All of us.

Some of you brought up the concern over Mathias and… we’ll get to that.

For now, I want to keep things short and to the point, telling this next event in hindsight makes things even tougher, but I have a duty to fulfill and I will do it. Last night I woke up and my TV was producing static. Something started shifting behind it whenever my eyes adjusted, but I’m chalking it up to tiredness. I HAVE to find out what happened and I know there’s people reading who have those answers.

I have to see this through; I made a promise.

If you ever saw Beneath The Static show up between 2008 and 2010, please contact me.

Part 1

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

Part 6

Part 7

Part 8 (FINAL)

It was difficult trying to convince the group to come back the following week. While Preston was determined and jumped at the chance, Fay felt uncomfortable and said she’d only do it if I sat next to her and kept her “in check” as she put it. Makes sense, we’d been inseparable since the womb and I didn’t see that changing anytime soon. We may not finish each other’s sentences or dress the same, but she was my better half and far more emotional, so I was happy to balance her out.

Millie was hesitant, said she didn’t know if she could deal with seeing JJ’s face again… asked if I’d hang out with her a bit beforehand to mellow her out. Me being 17 and with a huge crush, I obviously jumped at the chance.

Warren shrugged and said he’d do it as long as there were snacks and we didn’t bring up how tired he was. Said he’d been having awful dreams and didn’t wanna talk about it. Reasonable enough, even if the idea of him being quiet was a rarity.

Mathias was the sole holdout. He refused to come and I couldn’t get him to answer his cell. When I went round to the house, his mom – drunk as the day is long – told me he’d shut himself in his room with enough supplies to see him through to Labour Day 2011. I asked if she’d pass on the message and she swayed when she nodded. The smell of booze was strong enough to make a cat’s hair stand on end.

Friday came and like last week, Fay was drawing on the beanbag in my room. Knowing full well Millie would be over earlier, I rushed to get ready and didn’t notice how frantic Fays artwork was becoming. Sweat dripping down her face and strands of her hair dangling in the air as her drawing grew more intense.

“What do you think of Millie?” I asked, playing with my hair in the mirror as the shrieking guitars from Coheed and Cambria rang out in my room, foot tapping from a mixture of enjoyment and anxiety.

“MAJOR Wednesday Addams vibes, quirky but clever, sweet smile and a great ass. Why?” She didn’t even look up from her sketchpad or stop her momentum. Gotta admire dedication.

“She asked to come a bit early, mellow out before the guys came over. I was hoping she… well, y’know.” I shrugged awkwardly. “Doesn’t matter, I don’t think I’m her type.”

“Oh no, you are. It’s just not the right time.” She said, putting some finer detail on the piece before wiping her forehead. “You’ll be fine, just be her friend and it’ll happen. Trust me.” She turned the sketchpad around, asking what I thought.

This time, it was the TV in the centre of our basement. Clearly the smallest object amid such big character; all of us perched precariously on magnificent thrones. Practically caricatures of one another staring down incredulously at JJ Watson’s best Tommy Wiseau impression from The Room, his speech bubble reading “You’re tearing me apart, Sages!” As we each threw an insult at him.

“Never let it be said you can’t turn a grim situation into an amusing one, Fay. But maybe don’t go into the political satire sketch business.” I smirked, she feigned insult.

“Am I THAT bad?” She placed a hand on her chest as I patted her on the shoulder. I laughed as I went to answer the door, smoothing my hair back one more time, grinning.

“Nope, you’re too honest.”

Millie turned up early, bright eyed but reserved. I wish I could tell you we had a romantic moment, but I did as my sister instructed and just made sure I was a good friend. We played some Chibi Robo, talked about concerts we wanted to see and largely kept away from the tv-shaped elephant in the room. 45 minutes later, Preston turned up. I don’t know if he was expecting to catch me and Fay on our own, but he looked hesitant to talk when he saw Millie. Maybe he just didn’t want to be in front of the entire gang at once, I could understand that.

Either way, he relaxed after a few minutes and said he’d give everyone the extra info when we’d all gathered. Preston looked tired, he’d lost a few pounds and I could only imagine the toll this was having on him. But I could see something in his eyes when we talked about the show, a glint that gave way to a furrowed brow and gritted teeth; determination.

Within the hour, we’d all gathered, Mathias’ seat still vacant as the time grew nearer for the show to start. For brevity, I’ll transcribe the conversation leading up to the show’s start.

00:00 – The static is flickering in and out. Without Mathias, we’ve got no way to connect to the channel and so the TV has simply been left on the channel Mathias last had it at with no special connections.

Warren: Where is he? I swear, if he pussied out…

Millie: He didn’t “pussy out”, Warren. And could you not use that term? It’s gross.

Warren: Oh don’t give me that feminist shit, Mil. It ain’t like that. It’s just a phrase we use to-

Millie: I know, but seriously, can you not? He’ll be here, I’m sure he’s just dealing with some stuff.

Preston: We all showed up, despite the shit that’s gone down. Hell, I showed up, even after…

Tristan: Right… How is your family doing?Preston: Mom won’t stop crying. Dad called to say he was sorry, but said he won’t attend the funeral as he’s away on business.

Fay: Asshole.

Preston: He hasn’t been to the last seven birthdays, I don’t know why I thought this’d be any different. If he won’t show up to the death of his own son…

Preston pauses and puts a hand to his mouth. Fay goes over to hug him as Warren holds his head in his hands and proceeds to grab a mouthful of Doritos.

Millie: Think we should text him?

Tristan: Yeah, we may have more than a few questions, though.

00:01 – The screen springs to life as the logo pops up with a tinny overture in the background.

“Welcome back to Beneath The Static! Up next: Forbidden Acquisition with JJ Watson! Stay tuned.”

Warren practically chokes on his food, smacking his chest as he gets out of his seat. Tristan goes over to help Fay as she falls back and stares up at the TV as Millie and Preston stare wide eyed.

Warren: How in the… how in the fuck did the show start? I thought Mathias…

Millie: Didn’t he need to do all these weird connections and shit last time?

Fay: That’s not possible. How is it showing without any changes?

Mathias: Because we looked beneath the static. Now it’s in our homes.

Mathias stood at the top of the stairs, his clothes unchanged, hair in the same bun but far greasier and a noticeable stench coming from him. He lumbered down the stairs before slumping into his assigned chair and pinching the bridge of his nose.

Mathias: This is what I was afraid of. Why I wouldn’t return your calls, Tristan. Whatever *this* is, we’ve let it in. However long it’s going on for, we’re along for the ride now. Whether we like it or not.

Warren turned and stared at him, the realisation washing over him.

Warren: What the fuck do you MEAN whether we like it or not? I ain’t doing SHIT I don’t wanna do.

Mathias: Look, I know you’re a punk with a stereotypical hatred of rules, but this is beyond you. Beyond all of us.Warren looked like he was going to grab Mathias and hurl him out of the chair, but Mathias said something that brought silence to us all as the show jingle kicked in, Warren falling back into his chair and growing deathly quiet.

Mathias: Anyone else been having bad dreams lately? Maybe some of JJ, some of fears, all of them ending with that overwhelming sense of guilt? I know I have… and something tells me that it won’t stop until we find out what this all means.

00:02 – We get a wide-angle sweeping shot of a dusty, dark menagerie set to a samba beat and 80s neon signs as a crowd once again shouts out the show name “Forbidden Acquisition!” with gusto. It pans to the front of the menagerie as JJ Watson lays prone on the ground, a golden suit wrapped around his lanky frame as he’s introduced.

The crowd applauds as his arms stretch up in the reverse form, like an action figure being posed. They twist around until the palms turn and snap to the ground. In one swift, crunching motion, JJ flips his body round and snaps his head to the audience. Milky blue eyes and impossibly white teeth take centre stage as we recoil in disgust.

“Hi folks! JJ Watson here once again to bring you yet another wonderful addition to our network’s programming block. Forbidden Acquisition is a chance for some of our wonderful selected audience members to find those coveted items they need in order to make some quick cash, reclaim something they lost or maybe put into a saucy spell!” He winks at the crowd, a smatter of laughter breaking out. “But, most importantly, they’re here to have fun and get revenge on the people that wronged them. We here at Beneath The Static *always* stand by a person’s right to right their wrongs. I’m sure all of you at home do as well.”

As he finishes, one eye stays locked on the centre of the camera as the other wanders to something off-screen, his dialogue remains unchanged and professional as he continues his introduction.

Mathias: That eye… it feels like it’s looking at me. Seeing things I don’t want it to see.

Tristan: Dude, have something to eat and drink. You look awful. I don’t want you bugging out right before it kicks off.

Millie: Yeah and uhh… maybe get some deodorant? No offence, but I’m on the opposite side of the room and I can smell you.

Mathias: It wasn’t my first instinct, okay? I didn’t want to delay getting over here; I wasn’t even sure I’d show up.

Fay: Smells like if anuses were distilled into liquid. Like… canned ass sweat.

Mathias: Shut up.

Tristan: Oh, you mean like pre-poop meat sweats? Put that shit on a can and you could SELL it to some weirdos on the net!

Fay high-fives me as we shout “Twin Fatality!”in unison and some welcome laughter breaks out in the basement for the first time, Mathias demands some deodorant.

00:03 – The camera manoeuvres to the three contestants standing adjacent to JJ and each of them with an endless hall of books, cages and shelves behind them, all of which are dimly lit.

“Let’s take a look at our contestants and why they’re here today, shall we?” JJ grins and gestures to them to speak as flashcards show up. The first is a young man, skinny build and wearing a thick black robe with a slew of unusual face-paint. He grins and the gang can see his teeth have been filed down into fangs.

“My name is Braxton Over-throat. I am a soon-to-be Necromancer and hopefully with today’s ingredients, I’ll be able to bring back ____ from the dead so I can learn about The Thule Society. I’m hoping my victory here today will offer a new era for the Third Reich.”

The camera moves to the right, and an old woman smiles back. She’s on the heavy side, wearing a piling pink cat sweater, teal cat eye glasses and a cat chain coupled with a perm so large it threatens to extend beyond the reaches of the TV.

“I’m Mitsy McGill and gosh darn it I just love Jesus, American values and devouring babies. I’m looking for a particular spell that will seduce young mothers into giving their children over to me without question.” She pats her stomach and her smile suddenly seems unsettling.

The camera pans one last time to a teenage girl, no older than 18 and decked out in bandages across her arms, legs and torso. A long burn running down the side of her face and the eye on the affected side stricken white. Nevertheless, she displayed a beautiful smile and upbeat positivity as she introduced herself.

“I’m absolute gutter trash and not worth yours or anyone’s time. Just a stupid dumb witch cunt from the backwoods, looking to get some ingredients for a spell!”

The camera cuts to JJ, clapping his hands with sheer joy as the crowd joins him. “Alright contestants, your ingredients are along these aisles. You’ll start off on your own, but the moment you find three of your 10 items, you’ll begin to intertwine with one another for the next set. Use whatever means you can find nearby to get your next 4 items and the lowest of the three of you will be eliminated! For the final three… well, we’ll keep that a secret for now.” He grinned and winked.

Fay: So we have a neo-nazi, a religious cannibal and a psychotic burn victim? I hope the last one wins, I’m not about to side with the Hitler-lover OR the Jesus lover.

Millie: Did… did you just compare Jesus to Hitler?

Fay: I said what I said.

Tristan: What do you think the reward *actually* does, though? Surely witchcraft and shit isn’t real?

Mathias: I don’t think so, no. I mean, what happened last week was more of a coincidence than a direct link, right?

Warren: You cannot still be on that thought-pattern, dude.

Preston: I know what you mean, but there’s gotta be more to it than that. I know my brother was a psycho but the way things lined up just…

Mathias: Fit together too perfectly, I know. Let’s just see where it goes.

00:07 – Over the next few minutes, we watch each of the members pass down their respective aisles, looking for items and avoiding traps along the way.

Braxton charges on ahead, grunting and muttering something under his breath, an incantation perhaps, as he scours the shelves for what he’s after. Stacks of oddities in jars, ancient boxes and trunks on the lower sections that creak open as he gets close to them. He stops after about a minute of running, the camera chasing overhead before cutting to a close shot as he’s stood choosing.

He selects a book covered in tanned skin, takes a deep breath as his eyes roll back and he shudders. Pocketing it in his knapsack, he spies a jar with extremely dated packaging, a strong-man on the front and the title “Aryan Supplements: grow your body into the genetic superior you SHOULD be!” Without warning, he rips the bottle open and downs some hastily, pocketing the rest and running like a man possessed into the depths.

Mitsy trudges along, the camera almost reluctant to go near her as her body fat undulates in the wind, sweat dripping from her brow as she methodically points at the various passing oddities before grabbing a framed photo, a tiara and a jar in quick succession, barely slowing down. Her sick grin never fading as she holds up the jar, a deformed child pressed up against the glass in brine, unscrewing the top and unhinging her jaw to devour the contents as the gang groan and retch in horror. She belches loud, wipes her mouth of brine and carries on.

As the camera cuts to the third woman, we see her sprinting effortlessly ahead, her hands full of items already, though it’s hard to see what exactly they are. As she passes an intersection, she stops and looks around before the camera cuts to JJ.

“Uh-oh, it seems we have an early bird! Maybe we should push the others along, it’s not polite to keep a beautiful lady waiting!” He gives a thumbs up and we hear something stomping around and groaning.

As the overhead shot returns, we see the lights begin to go out as eyes light up in the darkness, surrounding a panicked but focused Braxton as he clutches his book close to him and picks up the pace, desperate to beat the lights going out above him.

Mitsy seems decidedly unafraid as she keeps a brisk pace under the fading lights, confident in the items she’s acquired and makes it to the intersection with relative ease, brine still dripping from her mouth.

Fay: What the fuck are they even getting? I couldn’t see all the junk they picked up.

Preston: I made out a picture, a book, some kind of tiara, a dagger and a piece of cloth.

Millie: I swear I saw a Tarantula cupped in one of their hands.

Warren: I didn’t see shit.

00:12 – The overhead shot shows each of the three contestants eyeing one another carefully, distancing themselves and holding their items deathly close. Circling one another as they take furtive glances at their surroundings.

Mitsy is the first to speak, her eyes fixed on the girl and her syrupy southern drawl beginning to make my hairs stand on end.

“Now, we can do this the easy way. You can drop your things, I can make it quick and you can spend the rest of your days in eternal glory. Or…” She pulls down on her jaw, rows of teeth becoming clear as her gullet widens and she croaks. “I can strip the flesh from you bit by bit and use your bones for something wonderful.”

There’s a silence as Braxton bares his teeth, veins pulsing from his neck and the girl carefully putting her items in her cloak. JJ’s voice can be heard over the speakers, the group reacting to it.

“Don’t get too excited, you only passed the first round, folks! Now, you’ve all gotta go down the same lane together. Do whatever it takes to get your next 4 items and reach the final area. Whoever has the least by the end of the trail is OUT.” He leans forward, his voice lowering and the perversions in his words unmistakable. “Whatever. It. Takes.”

The three set off down the lane, a sea of black cages and screams coming from the darkness as the camera cuts to JJ once again manoeuvring himself to a separate stage with a piece of furniture; a chopping board.

“Before we go to our scheduled break, folks. I want to talk to you all today about trust. See, trust is an incredibly important element of any relationship. Be it personal, professional or familial. If you don’t trust that your loved one will keep your more common concerns a secret, how can they keep your darker ones in check? If someone hurts you, but they’re sorry and ask you to keep it a secret, who are YOU to tell the world? If their freedom is the sacrifice, well…you’re a thief.” JJ reaches for a butcher knife and as the camera focuses on his torso, he stares at the camera, unblinking and emotionless as he continues his speech, the sound of chopping and squelching now punctuated between sentences. “Thieves should be punished, a finger for every lie told, a hand for every heart broken. So what if they did wrong? Maybe you asked for it, maybe you spoke out of turn and they HAD to put you in your place. Maybe you were just in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

His face grew pale, the eyes sank into the sockets and his skin became sallow. He looks weak for a moment as he mouths the words: “I was your best friend. How could you?”

The show cuts to a commercial break out of nowhere and the group is left to dissect what they’ve just seen.

The show cuts to a commercial break out of nowhere and the group is left to dissect what they’ve just seen. Mathias has his head in his hands, Fay is drawing intensely and the rest of the group are sickened and curious.

Preston: Was he… was he chopping…

Warren: Like a fucking carrot stick, yeah. I don’t know how he did it with a straight face, but…

Millie: He’s shown he’s not exactly the most normal presenter. Maybe it was a prop? Or maybe…Tristan: Maybe it was someone else’s hand? Yeah, I was wondering that myself.

Mathias: How did he know? I never told ANYONE.

We look at Mathias, he’s shaking and rocking in his chair. He’s unresponsive to anything we say and within a couple of minutes, the show resumes.

00:28 – The show resumes and JJ is nowhere to be seen. What greets us instead as the music plays is the overhead shot of the extensive menagerie, a few shots of the various aisles the contestants have run through.

A broken jar in Mitsy’s aisle, something pale and spindly crawling rapidly out of sight.

In the strange girl’s aisle, a cage can be seen with a humanoid creature moaning softly as it weeps, arms wrapped around its hulking frame and five yellow eyes glinting in the camera’s night vision as a third black palm stretches out.

Braxton’s aisle, however, is what catches our eye most and causes both Mathias and Preston to vomit. Warren screams.

In the centre of the aisle, inexplicably, is Braxton’s torso. Just the torso. The muscles, veins and sinew are all visible as he hangs from thin webbing that stretches from the stumps on his limbs. The camera unflinchingly stays on him, zooming in on the torso as small pieces of skin are still visible, the rest has been stripped from him.

“Well, it looks like Braxton failed to meet the minimum amount of items for the next round and has met the same fate as those he desperately hated. Can’t help but think that’s a little ironic, don’t you folks?” JJ’s voice boomed out, the figure nowhere to be seen as the equally unseen crowd showed their appreciation. “Still, this is what those who don’t pay up face. As some of us know all too well…” there’s a slight silence as the camera listlessly trails the empty aisles before his irritating positivity returns. “Let’s check in on our remaining contestants, shall we? With 6 items apiece, we’ll now tell them what’s next!”

We see a small intersection, the two women staring each other down and covered in small cuts. Mitsy’s eyes are wild and her tongue is listlessly hanging out of her mouth. The smaller girl keeps her body low and at a solid distance, her items still tucked into her cloak.

“Okay ladies, your final three items are ready. All you need to do is make sure the other doesn’t get to them first.” He breathes into the mic, moaning. “Because they’re inside the both of you.”

00:35 – What happened next was nothing short of a fucking bloodbath. Mitsy didn’t even wait to hear him finish, she KNEW. She lunged forward and bit down hard on the girl’s leg, sinking her teeth into the soft flesh and pulling away, blood spraying and her mouth clutching a sizable piece that she guzzled down with gusto.

“Young meat ALWAYS tastes so good. Blood of the lamb and body of christ. I’m going to keep living the way I do, girly. This show has changed me already for the better and I won’t let ANYONE stand in my way. You said it yourself, nobody cares who you are.” The crowd is clapping and cheering as we watch on in horror. But the girl simply clutched her leg for a moment, pulling off a piece of her cloak to bandage it and pulling it taut.

“That’s EXACTLY why I will win. Because nobody expects anything from me.”

Lunging forward, she trips Mitsy over as her large frame topples to the ground, practically shrieking as the girl cold and calculatingly gets behind her, grabbing a tuft of her hair and pulling back on the head.

“Shh, it’ll be over quickly if you don’t struggle, I promise.” The girl breathed, eyes focused and determined.

In an instant, she plunges her fist into Mitsy’s mouth and pushes down her throat, deeper and deeper as she searches for what she wants. Mitsy thrashes and screams, trying to bite down but rapidly losing the energy. Eyes bloodshot and wide as the girl unflinchingly proceeds to push her arm further down her throat while Mitsy’s body convulses and twitches as the girl pulls hard on something unseen.

“Oh, yes… I think she’s got it, such a good girl…” JJ’s voice feels like a tongue in my fucking ear and was somehow just as sickening as the sight playing out in front of me. The girl yanks one last time as she wrenches out a black organ not dissimilar to a liver, bites into it and pours the liquid into a small jar, stuffing the organ into her cloak as a series of applause rang out and confetti fell around on her.

“Congratulations to our winner! As you prepare your ingredients for the ritual, is there anyone you’d like to thank?”

Without missing a beat, the woman strides off-screen to the very same table JJ had been at previously, blood strewn all over the place and several fingers ladened on the table. She placed her ingredients; the strange black organ, a coffee-red liquid, a powdery substance, three hairs of varying length and colour, a photo, an IOU note and the fingers left behind. She put the fingers into a blender and the remainder into a small grinder that she carefully smashed the contents of.

“Oh, I’d like to thank the Woljiechs. Because without them, none of this would be possible. I’d still be purposeless trash who brought shame to my family. Now, with this, I can have purpose. I can have my revenge.” She looks up to the camera as the lights flicker, a smile curling across her lips as she puts the ingredients together into a bowl and holds it up.

“My name is Callista Aberswyth. I was not the first victim, but I will make sure I was the last. If you bare their blood, I swear from this day forth; you will never sleep well a day in your fucking life.”

She drinks the concoction whole as the theme music plays out and begins convulsing on the floor, screeching as black smoke rises from her spot, screaming the family name over and over again.

The static begins overtaking once again as the show fades out, but by this point we’re no longer focused on the credits. We’re looking at Mathias. He was crying in his chair and punching his head, saying the same thing over and over again.

Mathias: I didn’t do it. I could have been quicker.

Warren: Didn’t do what? First Preston and now you? Is this gonna target ALL of us?Preston: It seems to know what we’re hiding, what we don’t want other people to know. In my case, I hid secrets that could have saved my Brothers family…

Tristan: What are YOU hiding, Mathias? You still haven’t told us how you came across this show in the first place and now it’s targeting us.

Fay: What else haven’t you told us?

He shakes his head, still muttering the same thing.

Millie: We need to know, Mathias. If we keep watching this week in and week out, who’s next?

“It’s not about WHO is next. But WHAT.”

We spin around to see the static growing louder and JJ stepping into focus. Maybe it was the static, but he looked even more wrong than usual; his form was twisting with the wind, blending in and out of the static. He leaned forward and put his head in his hands like a child inspecting his doll collection.

“Every one of you has a secret. Some big, some small. Some are absolutely filthy.” He licks his lips and locks eyes with Millie as she takes a step back, bumping into the wall and hyperventilating. “But while ALL of you deserve to be here for what you did, ONE of you pushed that boat out into unfamiliar waters. They made a deal and there’s no. going. back. I’m with you no matter where you go.” He pressed his face up against the TV screen and licked from bottom to top, moaning as he did it. My head swelled and I felt dizzy hearing him speak, I tried to say something but my entire being felt like I was stuck in quicksand. Like running away from an unseen threat in a nightmare. He spoke once more, those eponymous words ringing in my ears before the TV returned to pure static. For the second week in a row, we were left to figure out the aftermath.

“JJ misses you already.”

Mathias Woljiech’s family had always been known for their “family business”. While Mathias himself didn’t get involved, he was always made aware of the violence they enacted on others. As the largest meth dispensers in the city, they controlled so many of the destitute, the lonely, the forgotten among the downtrodden masses. They did what all drug dealers do; preyed on the weak and used them until they had nothing left. Then used them a little bit more.

There had been rumours, always just rumours, that Mathias’ father Boone and his older brothers Max and Trav had bought a girl from a meth-head who couldn’t pay his tab. That she’d been only 16 and had been “legally wed” to Max so as to not arouse suspicion, but she was for all intents and purposes a slave.

Those rumours persisted that since Max and Trav had a propensity for violence, illegal hunting and a love of firearms coupled with a homeschool education, they took their “interests” to the next level and began using her as a bartering tool to ensure her family always did as they were told. For every failure on the family’s part to pay up, do a delivery or provide a service, they’d burn her, cut her up or worse. Making sure her family bore witness or had a gift to remind them of the damage they did.

Only, the rumours escalated to such a point that an anonymous welfare tip was sent to the county sheriff one evening last year. There was a domestic dispute, and it had reportedly gotten out of hand. When the dust was settled and the Sheriff went on his way, Callista’s family home had been burnt to the ground and 4 charred bodies had been left in the rubble. The message had been sent.

From that day on, Mathias regressed further into himself, technology and his close circle of friends; us. He never spoke about what happened and insisted he didn’t know anything that went on.

It would be 9 months after this incident until we saw the full effects of what Callista had done.

3 months after the day of separation, Boone Woljiech would become pinned by his truck on a bitter winter night when the family were away, his internal organs were crushed and he took an estimated 2 days to die while exposed to the elements.

4 months after the day of separation, Travis Woljiech would be caught in an electrical fire at work, faulty wiring caused a burn so fast and intense that he was unable to get to safety in time, but it was concluded that Travis didn’t pass out from the fumes and was instead cooked alive.

Max Woljiech would never be found, but a package would later show up at the Sheriff’s office, 9 months to the day and labelled urgent. Inside were the entrails of an adult male and a stomach filled with partially digested hair, fingers, an IOU note addressed for Callista and a small box with the charred remains of a fetus, the engravement on the box simply saying “Max”.

On the back of the envelope was a simple message in black marker:

“I have seen beneath the static and I found truth.”