By Ronnie Roberts
June 3rd,
Dear journal #5, the doctor was right; doing this journal has really helped me clear my head. I will admit that I was skeptical at first, but there’s something about putting my thoughts to paper that really has a calming effect.
We’ll see how long I can keep you around, #5. Hopefully it’ll be a while, or I’m going to go broke on journals alone!
June 5th,
Lisa and I just got back from dinner and a movie. A date night. We haven’t done this much since having the kids, but it’s nice to treat her. We decided to compromise: I got to choose dinner, (Chinese, my favorite) and she got to choose the movie (some chick-flick musical).
Cindi, our babysitter, is the best. Tonight when we got home she had done the dishes for us and put the kids to bed already. Worth every penny, that one.
June 6th,
Lisa’s alarm went off at 4:00am, only instead of the smooth sounds of Billy Freddy in the morning on The Coast, 101.9, it was some news report. I nudged her to wake her but she didn’t move. I assumed she had set it wrong (wasn’t the first time) so I reluctantly sat up and kicked my feet off the bed. I listened to the story while I mustered the will to actually stand up.
I sat awake as they interviewed a Detective Donald Douglas (what a name, right?) about the slew of murders in the area that seem to surround some new cult.
At some time around 4:30 or 5:00, I finally got up and reset the alarm before going back to sleep.
June 7th,
I took a bit of time away from my programming today to do some research online about that strange story from last night and couldn’t find anything. Strange. Over the last year, I’ve heard snippets of it here and there, but I never paid it much mind. I’ll ask Lisa about it when she gets home with the kids tonight.
June 9th,
It’s 11:35, and we just got the kids to bed. They’re both so excited about going to Disneyland tomorrow. They’ve haven’t talked about anything else for days.
June 10th,
Just left the park and the kids are already asleep. Lisa decided to drive, so I have a few minutes to put some thoughts to paper.
I haven’t been to Disney in years, and it was everything I remembered and more. I would have paid for a hundred tickets just to see the looks on Sam and Lindsay’s faces again. Sam loved Indiana Jones, but was too scared to ride Mr. Frog’s Wild Ride with Lindsay…he must get that from his mom.
Lisa’s fussing about the lamp being on, so I’m going to have to keep this entry short.
June 11th,
I saw an ad for the news tonight, they were having a special about those murders. I was going to watch it, but the kids really wanted to see The Little Mermaid again. We all curled up on the couch together and enjoyed dinner and a movie.
July 14th,
Lisa set the alarm wrong again. Once more, they had a news report about the murders, and again I tried to wake her up. I listened for an hour this morning before I turned it off. Apparently these murders haven’t lost momentum. It starts with a loved one no longer showing interest in things they once enjoyed; they withdraw; they tend to overuse drugs or alcohol; next, they’re leaving the house for days at a time. Left untreated, anyone can get sucked into a cult, and the next thing you know, you’re married to three husbands and cutting the ears off drifters on the weekends.
August 18th,
I’ve really been slacking off on these journal entries lately. I’ve taken on some new responsibilities at work and it’s really taken over most of my free time. Journal #5, have you missed me?
Also: Sam’s baseball team is in 3rd place! I cannot believe that. I’ve never had any skill in sports, so he must not have gotten in from his mom.
August 29th,
Today, I found some files on my computer that I didn’t put there. I’m going to change the password on our network tonight.
September 4th,
Lisa’s drank wine with dinner again tonight…
September 5th,
I found more strange files on my desktop again; this after I’ve changed our wifi password. I’m going to have to be more clever with my passwords, apparently. Maybe I’ll try one of those really complex ones.
September 22nd,
I spent most of today doing research and found tons of information. We’ve had killings happening in and around the city for two weeks now. I brought it up to Lisa tonight, and she didn’t know anything about it. Talk about head in the sand…
September 28th,
Going to spend the weekend up at my mom’s; the kids are really excited. We picked up some new trunks to get some swimming in before it gets too cold soon. Hopefully mom’s not still mad at Lisa about the coffee maker. I don’t think I can put up with another passive-aggressive weekend.
October 1st,
What a surprise, three days and not one argument. Mom must have spent ten roles of film taking pictures of the kids. Ever the proud grandma!
October 11th,
Lisa’s alarm went off at three again. I didn’t even bother trying to wake her up. This morning they had the detective back on to discuss the cult, Daoloth’s Doorstep. They use the murders as sacrifices to Daoloth, a demon they commune with. By killing a person and reciting some magic incantation, they can open a portal between our world and the world of this demon.
October 24th,
Lisa’s been drinking again. For the last two days, she’s taken to locking herself in our guest room and drinking wine. I keep trying to talk to her about these murders, and she just screams at me and heads upstairs to the room with her bottle. It’s clear she’s in denial and I’m starting to become concerned. The children may not be safe with her if she can’t even see what’s going on around her.
October 26th,
My team hit our first major milestone on our project today. On time and no defects so far!
October 31st,
I explained to Lisa that in light of everything going on, I really wasn’t comfortable with her dressing up Sam like a devil. I wonder if she’s trying to tell me something…
November 12th,
I received a phone call this morning from work asking me to ship my laptop back to them. They said my project is being canceled. They said they’ll contact me when the next project comes up, but they’re going to have to let me go in the interim. I spent all morning deleting files. I kept finding strange files and messages everywhere. Either I have a virus or Lisa has been using my machine…
…Either way, I don’t want to let work think I am part of this cult. I’ll go to bed once I get these files cleaned up…
November 20th,
I was going through Lisa’s phone this morning and I found some phone numbers I don’t recognize. One of the numbers was for a Dr. Donovan, and the number ended in 6-6-6. Should I mention it?
November 21st,
The Detective talked about the cult again. As he’s personally dealt with people under the influence of the cult, he’s not convinced that this Daoloth is just a superstition. He described a possession as being able to see knowledge-beyond-knowledge behind the eyes. He said you can’t quantify it, but you can just tell when someone isn’t themselves.
I went and checked on the kids before resetting the alarm.
December 1st,
Lisa took the kids to her mothers. She said she didn’t feel safe with me right now. I told her that I was the only person she was safe with! Does she think her mother is going to protect her and the kids if something happens?
December 4th,
Thank god. Lisa is back with the kids. We had a long talk last night and are on good terms again. I missed them all terribly and was having a lot of trouble sleeping with them away.
December 6th,
They had the detective on for five hours this morning. The cultists have been leaving their symbol scrawled around the city; concentric triangles with a spiral working from the outside in. The murders have begun to escalate again as well.
I’m going to get a shower and try to talk some sense into Lisa.
December 10th,
Lisa wasn’t feeling well today, so I took the kids to school. I was a bit nervous watching them walk in those double doors, but it was a comfort to know they’d be with their teachers all day. Lisa and I had met them both numerous times, and you could tell they really cared about the kids.
December 14th,
I saw an article online today:
Graffiti Cleanups Continue
Mayor Charles has reported that graffiti cleanups have continued along the 5 freeway and several streets in uptown including 3rd Street through 9th Street.
Lisa’s mother lives on 9th Street…
December 25th,
The kids just finished opening up their presents. Sam is already upstairs playing with his new toys and Lindsay is curled up at my feet with her new books.
Lisa is in the kitchen having some eggnog…in a tumbler.
January 5th,
When I came home from the market today, Lisa greeted me. She said something to me, but I couldn’t understand what she said. I stared at her, confused, and I could see the understanding in her eyes. She knew what I was thinking. She knew when I would be back from the market. She knew everything. I could see it in her eyes; those deep blue eyes. They knew things no man should know. I was looking into the eyes of this Daoloth.
In a fit of panic, I slapped her. I started shaking her until I could see that evil otherworldly knowledge leave her eyes. I had saved her.
January 6th,
Lisa left me this morning. I had overslept because of this morning’s interview with detective Douglas, and when I woke up, she and the kids were gone. She had left her wedding ring on the counter as well. When I picked up the ring, the light hit it just right, and I could see a symbol on the inside of the ring; concentric circles and a triangular spiral.
I had been wrong about saving her.
February 1st,
I have been in contact with detective Douglas for a few days now; he’s helping me track Lisa down. I can’t let anything happen to the kids. I wouldn’t forgive myself.
He has been explaining to me that all of these murders are in preparation of Daoloth’s return. Midnight March 15th, the Ides of March, Daoloth will be at full power ready to cross over.
February 7th,
Lisa’s mother won’t answer my calls.
I went to her house and slammed on the door for 30 minutes. Her car wasn’t there, but I’m sure she was home. I’m sure she’s hiding from me.
Perhaps Lisa’s coworker Claire will know where she is.
February 10h,
I contacted Claire and told her I was Lisa’s brother. She told me that Lisa had taken some days off to Westend. As Lisa only knows one person in Westend, this led me to her friend Mindy’s house. I contacted the detective about this, and he informed me that Mindy is a cleric of great standing in the cult.
February 13th,
The Detective and I had crept around back and climb up into a tree house in the backyard. Standing two stories high, we peered in the upstairs window. Inside, Lisa and the kids were laying on the bed and the room was covered in bloody symbols; bloody concentric triangles with a spiral dropping form the outside in.
As I stared at one of the triangles, I could feel myself moving into it. Slowly the triangles became larger, and new ones appeared in the center. The spiral, too, slowly moved its way deeper and deeper as I feel inwards.
The detective had slapped me, nearly knocking me out of the treehouse, effectively shaking me out of it. He hissed at me to avert my eyes; to look directly into one of those shapes is what lets the demon look directly into your soul. If you go too deep, you’re lost forever.
It was obvious that I needed rest. We have checked into a motel for the night.
February 14th,
I didn’t sleep at all last night. The Detective sat up with me and explained what was happening. He told me it was too late for them, Lisa had already given her body over to Daoloth and then took Sam and Lindsay with her. I knew he was right. I had seen the symbols.
I had began to weep for all that I had lost when he shook me. He told me of his wife, and how the same thing had happened to her. He explained to me that the only way they can truly be free from Daoloth now is by removing the very gateways Daoloth uses; the eyes.
I had pulled away then and wiped the tears from my face. I stared at him and saw the pain and the resolve glowing from deep within his eyes. He would be my rock. If I were too weak, I would borrow strength from him.
We sat silently as we drove back to the house.
We slowly pulled around the back and hopped the fence to the backyard again. The Detective walked me to the little shed in the rear and walked me through picking the lock. Once inside, I searched and found an icepick sitting on a little shelf. I froze as I reached for it, unable to fully comprehend what I was about to do. When I looked up at the Detective, he gave me a proud smile, “I know you can do this. You’re ready.”
It’s 9:13 now. We’re both sitting in the Detective’s car waiting for the go ahead from his superior. This may be my last entry for a while. Wish me luck.