FOURTYSIX

 He Returns

Hello World.

When He showed up that night I blacked out immediately and all I could see were these intensely vivid images in my head of some kind of ritual going on.  There were members of the Flock in these images and they were standing in a circle around a table, and on the table was a person.  I couldn’t tell who it was, they seemed to be heavily drugged or something because their movements were very slow and they seemed to be unaware of almost everything around them.  I saw two of the members lighting what looked to me like a sage bundle and they were waving it all around the person on the table.  I could hear a humming noise, like they were all chanting something but it was too muffled to make out anything.  All of a sudden the muffled chants grew louder and one of the Flock members, obviously the Lesser Scarecrow, stepped forward with a knife and raised it above the person on the table who was still drugged but seemed to be aware of what was happening.  Still too weak to do anything they could only wave their arms slightly at the one with the dagger before it plunged into their gut.  That’s when I came to and saw that I had been coughing up blood and some strange black liquid with it. 
I think this ritual that I saw has something to do with getting the Flock to this ‘other world’ that the Tall One comes from….but for now I’m stuck trying to figure out who the sacrifice was, and if the ritual was successful in getting those members to the world they so desperately crave.

Hopefully I can figure this out before things get too out of hand.

~Willow

FOURTYFIVE

Hello World.

It’s been quite a while since I last spoke to you.  Over the past few weeks I’ve been attending the occasional meetings that the Flock will hold in the woods past the bridge.  The kid, Kolby, would try constantly to be as close to me as possible at these meetings.  I haven’t really ever been a kid person, let alone a people person but after the first two meetings that I attended I started to talk to him more.  Sometimes I would invite him to walk home with me and at first he would hesitate but he always seemed to enjoy talking to me on my way home.  Besides nearly worshipping me like a god, the kid is actually good company, He’s started to tell me more about his home life rather than just things he likes or his older brother who also happens to be a member of the Flock.  I started to notice however that the Flock leader has begun to notice our friendship.  I get the feeling he doesn’t approve of Kolby being this close to me but, I can’t say that for sure.  The guy is a total creep and always shoots looks like that at me.  I still haven’t figured out his name though.  I had planned to ask Kolby earlier tonight because he had shown up to the house in his black hoodie and Flock mask.  Subtle right?  It’s Halloween after all so I can’t really be too hard on the kid however I advised him it probably wasn’t the best choice of costume.  When I got around to asking him what the guy’s name was he froze up and became a little uncomfortable.  He told me that it wasn’t a good idea to be asking the names of the higher ranking members of the Flock.  He then proceeded to stuff his face with a candy bar and I didn’t press the matter any further.  It kind of makes me suspicious though.  I wonder if the current ‘leader’ or Lesser Scarecrow is still Ryan, the guy Riley mentioned in his letter.  I wouldn’t know how to tell, I had never met any of these people before. 

Anyway, I can’t tell if it’s just Halloween getting to me or if something bad is coming.  It’s just a feeling, but something doesn’t seem right with some of the members in the Flock anymore. 

I don’t know I’m probably just being paranoid, happy Halloween everyone.

~Willow

FOURTYFOUR

Hello World.

I said I would keep you updated, so here I am.  I’ve been staying inside ever since I put out entry Fourtythree however yesterday I decided to go out and take a walk.  Despite my feelings against it I walked all the way down to the bridge and hung around the pond for a while.  It was a really nice day, the sun was bright there weren’t really any clouds in the sky and the air was nice and chill.  However I recognized the kid who had delivered the letter to the house walking towards me from the other side of the bridge.  I continued to stand where I was and I watched him as he silently came up to stand next to me.  He stood facing the pond, he didn’t say a word he didn’t even look at me really he just stood there staring out across the water.  Strangely enough it didn’t feel awkward.  He didn’t seem nervous, he just stood there calmly.  At first I had felt a little weird but that feeling went away, soon after he finally looked at me and spoke.
“Are you ready?” He asked me.  I looked at him questioningly.
“Ready for what?”
“Everyone is excited to meet you.”
Before I could really respond he grabbed the sleeve of my jacket and led me down the sidewalk past the other side of the bridge where he had come from.  We were heading the same general direction that Andrew had taken me when I first encountered the Flock and I wondered how many of them would be there.  We entered the same small clearing that I remembered from before and this time there were twice the amount of people than before.  It was really different seeing all of them in their masks gathered like this in the waning light of the day rather than the dark of the night.  The kid let go of my sleeve and went to stand with the rest of the masked people who were now circled around me. 
“Brothers and sisters,” I turned to face the one inside the circle with me.  He too was wearing a mask but he removed it to speak. “, we are gathered here to welcome someone of great significance to our family.  The Tall One has delivered to us a new Scarecrow and on this day she becomes one of us.”
The people around us moved to remove their masks and a familiar ringing in my head drowned out all other sound.  The guy inside the circle with me continued to speak and occasionally everyone around us would respond in unison to something he would say.  As I looked around me my attention shifted from the circle of people to the trees behind them and for a moment I thought I caught a glimpse of the Tall Man watching us from not too far away but when I turned to look back he was gone.  I caught the kid who brought me here looking at me with a rather curious expression which confused me slightly.  As soon as it came the ringing was gone and I could hear again.  Unfortunately I missed the entire ‘initiation’ speech and everyone was now staring at me.
“Welcome, Willow.  The will of the Tall One manifests in you, and we are yours.”  The one who was speaking approached me and took my hand in his.  He looked me in the eyes and smiled.  It was a cold, hard smile and it immediately made me uncomfortable.  He let go of my hand and returned to where he had been standing before as everyone else around us rushed forward to say welcome to me.  They seemed so excited and they looked at me with such wonder and in some cases awe.  The young boy tried his best to push his way through everyone to get to the front of the crowd and closer to me to welcome me himself. 
“You saw him didn’t you?” He asked me, it was hard to make out over the talking of everyone else around me.  It didn’t appear that anyone had heard him ask his question and I simply nodded at him.  As people said their welcomes to me the backed off and slowly they all began to leave.  I grabbed the kid by his arm as he also turned to leave.
“Hey, what’s your name?” I asked.
“Kolby.  Is there something you need me to do?”
I was a little thrown off by his answer but I tried not to let it show.
“No, sorry I just wanted to know your name.” With that I stood and turned to leave as well.  The whole thing was so mysterious and confusing but strangely familiar and I couldn’t help but feel a little comfortable with the entire situation. 
I went straight home after that and I sat in my room for a long time thinking about everything.  I’m still scared, and I would be a fool not to be.  I’m not sure of what is going to happen from here on out but I do know that I feel slightly more comfortable with being involved in this ‘Flock’.  Perhaps I should be more wary of what is to come but don’t worry I’m still being very cautious.

I don’t know what’s going to happen next, but I’ll keep you all informed.

~Willow

FOURTYTHREE

Word Document

Here is the letter as promised for all of you to read.

Willow,

I know that a lot of things don’t make sense.  I wish I could tell you all of what you want to know but I can’t.  If you’re reading this it means that you have found the Flock and they have accepted you as the new Scarecrow.  What you are reading isn’t anything recent, this letter has been saved for years as it is customary for the old Scarecrow to write an informative letter to the new one.

As I’m sure you probably know already, whether you’d like to acknowledge it or not, you are a servant to the Tall Man.  Through you he is able to manifest his will.  He collects the bodies you provide for him and it keeps him alive.  The Flock follows him through you; you are their link to Him.  They believe that you can provide them the way to His world.  This world is supposedly some sort of haven according to them and all they want is a glimpse or even a trip to this place.  This makes you a sort of ‘holy’ figure so to speak.  With the title of the Scarecrow you are above all of them and every one of them answers to you before the Lesser Scarecrow.  If he hasn’t died by the time you are recognized as the new Scarecrow, Ryan will still be the Lesser Scarecrow.  I’m sure you have already met him by now but let me warn you that when I was dismissed, he and I were not on good terms.  Hopefully the Flock sticks to tradition and doesn’t open this letter before it reaches your hands.  Be careful of Ryan, Willow.  I cannot stress enough how dangerous he is.  While I am confident in your skills and abilities, he is not to be trifled with under any normal circumstances.  His grudge against me may carry over to you and for that I am sorry.

The Flock works in very discreet and mysterious ways, I cannot explain to you the way it operates simply because they are unpredictable and very secretive even to the Scarecrow.  The only reason for this is because of the occasional change in Scarecrows.  They want you to know enough but not enough so that in the event that you are let go alive you can’t spread too much information about them.  I was one of the lucky ones, able to live whatever amount of life I had left.  I hope that the same chance is given to you when the time comes.  I hope that I am still alive when you read this.  I have a big feeling you’re going to need my help and if I’m dead then shit might hit the fan real hard.  If I am dead though don’t give up Willow.  Don’t ever give up, you will get out of this whether I am there to help you or not.  Just be careful and don’t trust anyone who has been around the Flock long enough to have known me.

I love you little sister,

Riley

FOURTYTWO

Dvd Footage

FOURTYONE

Hello World.

This morning the doorbell rang.  When I went to answer it Tasha was already at the door with a kid who looked to be about eleven or twelve.  They both looked at me and there was a short awkward silence before Tasha turned to thank him and close the door.  She turned to face me and I took a seat on the stairs while she handed me an envelope. 
“This is apparently for you.” She continued to stand there but I didn’t want to open it in front of her.
“I don’t think this is a good idea.” She said and I gave her a confused look.
“What isn’t a good idea?” I asked.
“This whole cult thing.  I don’t think you should be getting involved with people who can break into my house whenever they feel like it.”
“Look I’m sorry about that, but I’ll make sure it doesn’t happen again okay?”
She sighed and shook her head slightly.  I could tell that she was really nervous about everything going on lately, but I didn’t have any doubts that I could keep these people away from her.  After all I convinced the Tall Man to stay away from her, I’m sure cultists are no problem compared to an other-worldly being. 
“I know that you’re going to ignore my advice, but all I’m saying is, don’t be quick to trust them just because they appear to be ‘friendly’ now.”  With that sentence she left the room and I returned upstairs to my room. 
I’ve been sitting on my floor for about an hour staring at the envelope on my desk trying to figure out whether or not I really want to open it.  Well rather if I should open it.  I know I want to get more answers I’m just not sure if this is the right way to go about getting them.  However I keep reminding myself that Riley may have been involved with these people too at one point and if he was still alive then they couldn’t be too dangerous.  I don’t trust them but for the time being they aren’t hostile. 
For now I’m just going to wait.  I think I’ll take Justine outside to run around for a bit and maybe after that I’ll open it. 

I’ll most likely record my findings so expect my next entry to be a video.

~Willow