Night 3

This night was... interesting. Certainly this night was the most lucrative; however, it wasn't yielding what I expected. First, I set up my trap cameras and walked around the woods. I lost my EVP recorder when I tried to replay the voice of "?", so I had to resort to the small, crappy mic on my thermal imaging camera. I bought a surplus of tapes, and I had four with me at the time.

I was honestly bored. I was not nearly as tense as in the first night, and I still saw only a small number of animals (though I did, at one point, see a deer). It wasn't until I was five minutes away from the end of the second tape that I noticed something. I noticed human footprints leading into the woods. I followed them for about a minute until I hit a small creek. Then the tape ran out and- as I stooped to change tapes- I saw a guy running from tree to tree a ways to my right. I stood there, shocked for a moment, but then I began chasing after him. I left my camera on the bank without further thought as I pursued the man. Slowly, he turned around. I couldn't recognize him before. Slowly, he opened his left hand and a single sheet of paper fluttered to the ground. Then he continued running. I ran after him, stooping only once to pick up the sheet of paper. That single moment was all he needed, for when I looked up again, the man was nowhere in sight.

Then I realized the one identifying feature- he had no identifying feature. I didn't recognize him and I couldn't recall a single feature besides him being male and him being tall.

It was "?".

I picked up the note.

"Ask Maria about Back Room Number Three."

It was scrawled in a handwriting that had no style to it or any distinguishing marks. It was almost as if it was typed on a computer.

I decided to finish my investigation early. The Jersey Devil investigation had failed, but my curiosity on this "?" individual had peaked. I'm going to ask Maria. I'll follow the note. It may lead to more clues on who this mystery "?" is.

Travis out. One case busted, another one just beginning to open.

Wish me luck!

"?"

Before I get ready to set off on Night 3, I still have to bring up this guy that seems to be peaking my interest more than the Jersey Devil investigation - "?".

"?", as I'll call him, is someone who I cannot recall in the slightest. I know that sometimes I forget people a while after I talk to them, but... this was while I was talking to him. Not before. Not after. During. I remembered nothing about him. I remembered he was male, and I remembered he was tall. Pretty damn tall. He said something wise and cryptic, and then left to enter a Free Clinic.

The woman who worked the desk at the clinic met him, and after saying something she blacked out. Completely blacked out.

I'm going to try to investigate this further. I tried to see if I could recognize his voice with the recording I made on my EVP... and the fucking thing began sparking and smoking when he began to talk.

Now... I don't know about you, but this guy... he seems to be heavily entrenched in the paranormal. So far, what I noticed of him is...

1. I could not recognize him, even while we were talking.
2. Another person who came in contact with him blacked out.
3. It seems that any device that attempts to record him breaks. This may just be speculation.

Now, I still have a final night to investigate the Pine Barrens, but I guess I can stay a little while longer.

I mean, it wouldn't hurt to pry just a little, right?

Well, I got two hours before I should head out, so I'll post about it when I get there.

Night 2 and Another Interview

I set up small video cameras around the site. This time, it was located around Lake Atsion in the Pine Barrens. I personally used a thermal imaging camera, a flashlight, and an EVP recording device.

I spent approximately 8 hours in the site. First, I inspected the area around the lake itself. I noticed some scratches in the trees, but I determined that they were bears after doing extensive internet research later. Then I began traipsing through the woods in no direction in particular.

It was quiet. I saw little to no fauna in the woods. I heard the chirping of crickets and the occasional lightning bug and I had, once, seen a squirrel (scared the shit out of me), but I had not seen any other animals in my entire time investigating. It created an eerie tension that remained with me until I made my way out of the forest, into my Subaru and back into town. I caught very little. I saw some imprints that were obviously deer hooves and- well- need I tell you what you probably assumed of the squirrel incident?

I decided to make a trip to the video store to see if they had any more tapes. I was running low in supply, but as I drove past, I noticed a dark, familiar alley with a "FREE CLINIC" sign buzzing in it. I parked, put money in the meter, and decided to ask questions.

*****

INTERVIEW 5:
Name: Maria ???
Age: Possibly late 20's, early 30's.
Sex: Female
Height: Slightly shorter than me
Other Information: She worked at the desk in the Free Clinic. Her attire was laid back. She had wrinkles around her eyes, possibly due to stress. She greeted me informally, and may have worked in the Clinic for years.

Maria: Hello, can I help you?

Travis: Yes. Yesterday, did you happen to see someone in here?

Maria: Yes, sir. It is a Free Clinic, we see many people.

Travis: He was slightly taller than me... he had very little emotion.

Maria: I cannot tell you on merely that, and besides, I shouldn't explain anything to you. Patient confidentiality.

Travis: He was... somewhat hard to describe... it was like you barely remember anything about him.

Maria: ...professionally, I could not have any more to go on with that, but... unprofessionally, I had someone come in who had that exact impression on me, and, come to think of it, I don't remember seeing any emotion cross his face. Not. Once.

Travis: What did he come here to do?

Maria: He walked in and asked to see the... the... may have been a patient... but... the very next thing I knew I was back at the desk and he was gone. I thought it was a lapse. He was completely out of view from that point on and I don't think I saw him again after that. It was weird. I supposed he went home after that.

*****
Hell-o! This was strange. I mean, definitely strange. The woman may have possibly suffered from Disassociative Identity Disorder, but she would have known about it beforehand... but she also saw no expression on his face. This was definitely a lead. Not on the Jersey Devil. I may have stumbled on something else, but for now I'm grasping at straws.
*****

I will do one final night of investigation this night, and then I will try to focus on this other possible emerging case.

For now, however, I am signing off.

Interviews

I will be transcribing all the interviews I had made this morning. I used my EVP recorder so I did catch some things I didn't hear before.

*****

INTERVIEW #1:
Name: Margaret Price
Age: Early-to-mid 20's
Sex: Female
Height: Taller Than Me
Extra Information: She is most likely a caterer of some kind. Perhaps fast food- I could tell by the attire she was taking off. She doesn't seem
Travis (Me): Hello, ma'am. Would you mind if I asked you some questions?

Margaret: No, I don't mind.

Travis: Would I be bold to first ask your name?

Margaret: It's Margaret. Margaret Price.

Travis: Margaret, have you heard of the Jersey Devil?

Margaret: (to herself) Oh god, one of these guys again. (to me) Yes, of course I have! What do you want to know?

Travis: Well... is there any local place where I can learn more about the Jersey Devil?

Margaret: Yes. It's called the internet.

Travis: ...of course, ma'am. Have any paranormal researchers been here?

Margaret (to herself) Ha ha, that's a laugh.

Travis: What, ma'am?

Margaret: I said yes, quite a few.

Travis: Oh. Okay. Have you personally ever experienced an encounter with the Jersey Devil?

Margaret: No.

Travis: Okay, that will be all.

*****
The results of that interview were inconclusive, and upon further examination I noticed her spite. I am severely offended.
*****

INTERVIEW #2:
Name: Jason ???
Age: Early 20's
Sex: Male
Height: My Height
Extra Information: Seems to appreciate music- had an iPod in hand and was focused on his music. He wore a black hooded coat with sleek red markings. Loitering near a park fountain.

Travis: Hello, sir.

Jason: Hey.

Travis: What's your name?

Jason: Jason.

Travis: Mind if I ask some questions, Jason?

Jason: Yes.

Travis: ...may I ask some questions?

Jason: No.

Travis: ...okay.

*****
At least he wasn't as sarcastic or bitter as the previous person interviewed.
*****

INTERVIEW #3:
Name: Elijah Stevens
Age: Mid 70's
Sex: Male
Height: Definately tall, but he is hunched over due to arthritis.
Other Information: He is the interview I had completely and totally planned. He is akin to a legend in the area. He fought in the Vietnam War, and had some scars. But his the thing he is primarily known for is a supposed attack on him by the Jersey Devil. He works in a farmland close to the Pine Barrens.

Travis: Hello. Am I adressing Mr. Stevens?

Elijah: Yes, you are. May I ask why you're here?

Travis: Yes. I'm here on account of a paranormal investigation...

Elijah: ...and you wish to know any information I have...

Travis: Precisely!

Elijah: Well, I haven't seen that creature since I was twelve. I was wandering through the forest, and suddenly I heard a roar from behind and a claw rake open my back.

Travis: ...oh my God...

Elijah: I still have the scar to prove it. *Takes off shirt* I don't know, though. My folks told me that it was probably a bear or something, but I saw some hoof prints. They say it was probably a deer.

Travis: Ouch!

Elijah: Yep. I've been staying away from that place for weeks. Anyways, I have people coming over, and I suggest you go now.

Travis: Yes sir, Mr. Stevens.

*****
That one yielded the most fruitful results, but I decided to conduct one last random interview. I saw a man walking towards the back alley between a bar and a hospital.
*****

INTERVIEW #4:
Name: ?
Age: ?
Sex: Male
Height: Somewhat taller than me
Other Information: I... I can't really say. I knew he was taller than me and I knew he was male. I don't distinctly remember the clothes he wore, or the voice he had. His age was indiscernible. I didn't remember if he was of any specific ethnicity. I never even saw emotion. The one other thing I remembered was that he showed absolutely no emotion during our conversation.

Travis:  Excuse me, sir?

?: Huh?

Travis: Would you mind asking questions?

?: *sighs* Make it quick, kid. I'm in a hurry.

Travis: Thank you. Do you know anything about The Jersey Devil?

?: The Jersey Devil? *snickers* Kid, why would go try looking for a foolish thing like that?

Travis: What?

?: Kid, don't go chasing around for things you don't understand, or you'll end up like me.

Travis: What do you mean?

?: Kid, just trust me. Don't poke your nose into things that they shouldn't.

Travis: Why-

?: Just... don't. I have to go now.

*****
At that point, I saw that at the end of the alley was a door with a garishly pink neon sign above it flickering "FREE CLINIC". I decided to have a bite across the road at a Panera Bread for some time. I'm still at the restaurant now. It has been two hours and I have, momentarily, looked out the window and into the alley. I never saw the man come back out. It may be possible that he left while I wasn't looking, but... I don't know. It's just an aching feeling in the back of my mind. I may try to look for the man tomorrow.

Night 1

I do not have the budget most people do. So I set off into the woods with nothing more than a flashlight, an E.V.P. recorder, and a full spectrum camcorder set to night vision. I spent at least seven hours investigating the areas that have been reported to have the most sightings and occurrences of paranormal phenomena.

I may have possibly gone through at least five tapes before the sun rose again.

I did catch a hoof print in the woods once, and I also noticed some rustling in nearby bushes, but for the most part, this investigation has so far turned up absolutely nothing of value.

I will try to interview the people nearby later on today, but I do not feel ecstatic thus-far about the findings of this investigation.

CASE 2: The Jersey Devil

My next case is bringing me to the Pine Barrens of New Jersey, where, if legends are correct, a demonic beast known as The Jersey Devil inhabits the immense woods that make up the land. For those who are unaware of The Jersey Devil and all it entails, allow me to put it in bullet points:

• The Jersey Devil is an urban legend and a cryptid, and as a wannabe cryptozoologist, I really want to try my hand at it.
• The sightings have gone back all the way to the time of the Native Americans, where local tribes feared the Pine Barrens, which they called "Popuessing", meaning "place of the dragon".
• The Jersey Devil is supposed to be a kangaroo-shaped biped with horses' hooves, batwings, horns, and small demonic hands.
• The "origin story" for it is that Mother Leeds, a powerful witch in the area gave birth to twelve children  and stated that if she had a thirteenth, it would be the Devil himself. Sure enough, when the thirteenth child popped out, he looked completely normal... and then he shape shifted into that messed up form I mentioned earlier, killed all the people in the area, and went around to see the scenic sights in New Jersey.

I'm currently in the somewhat nearby city of Atlantic City, New Jersey. Tomorrow I will go out and investigate the nearby woods. I may do interviews if I can, but let's just keep our fingers crossed, shall we?

Night at the Orphanage

Okay, so I have all my equipment set up and I am ready to go. I'll be typing in this laptop throughout the night to record whatever I can find... okay, wish me luck!

*****

11:18 PM

I heard a noise. It sounded like a door creaking open then slamming again. I'll go take another look around.

*****

11:27 PM

FUCK. There it is again! What is that?

*****

11:40 PM

Never mind. It was merely a run-down window.

*****

12:51 AM

Okay, I've spent an our in an EVP recording session.

*****

1:04 AM

Okay, I saw a yellow blur flash by on my thermal. On further investigation, I found it to be a rat. I need to keep myself together.

*****

2:15 AM

Nothing for a while. Small update. Battery's at half.

*****

3:12 AM

Walked around the upper floors. And a chair suddenly went from upright to toppling towards me down the stairs. There was no wind or reason that it would have previously toppled over.

*****

4:32 AM

Night's almost over. Damn. There were a few really good pieces of evidence, some debunked, some... not so much. But the battery's at 15% now, so I'll just turn this off and report my findings.

My Name is Journeyman

More specifically, my name is Travis Locke. I am a travelling freelance investigator- of sorts. I hunt for paranormal phenomena in the area of the Midwestern United States and parts of Canada (Toronto won't let me back in, though). I have a degree in photojournalism and sometimes work freelance for newspapers when I don't have the time or money to work on my paranormal investigations, but now I think I'm just bragging about my successful life, so let's continue.

My first case is bringing me to Gore Orphanage in the greater Cleveland area.

• It was set up as The Light of Hope Orphanage, led by Jonathan Swift out of his own mansion.
• It was rumored that Jonathan Swift was abusive and even murdered some of the children.
• Then a fire burned down the mansion. Some say it was due to a dropped lantern and others say it is due to Old Man Swift himself.
• People say ghosts haunt the Orphanage itself. This is what I'm going to try to investigate.

I have a thermal imaging camera and a flashlight. I will try to find an Electromagnetic Voice Phenomenon recorder, or EVP.

I'll be spending one night in there and recording my findings. Hopefully that will be enough.