November 17, 1983
Initial Report: Anomalous Activity Detected
For three weeks, residents near the abandoned textile factory on the outskirts of [REDACTED], a small industrial town, have reported disturbances. Nightly accounts describe a persistent hum, likened to the sound of straining machinery, emanating from the derelict structure. Several individuals living within a kilometer radius have vanished without trace—eight reported missing so far. Witnesses closer to the site claim to have seen figures moving within the factory’s shattered windows, though no light sources were visible. Three separate testimonies mention an overwhelming urge to approach the building, followed by violent impulses to harm themselves or others upon resisting. One survivor, found clawing at their own face two kilometers away, described a sensation of their "reflection turning against them" before collapsing into incoherence. Local authorities sealed off the area after two officers sent to investigate returned with severe lacerations on their arms and necks, inflicted—they insist—by their own hands.
Preliminary readings taken by a freelance surveyor at the perimeter:
- Ambient Vibration Frequency: 7 Hz, pulsing irregularly, detectable through seismometers despite no visible machinery activity.
- Electromagnetic Interference (EMI): 320 µV/m (normal urban levels: 10-50 µV/m), causing static on all radio equipment within 300 meters.
- Surface Reflectivity Anomaly: Mirrors and polished metal surfaces within 50 meters of the factory show distorted reflections, bending light at unnatural angles.
Authorization granted for exploration. 90 explorers assigned to investigate.
November 19, 1983
Losses: 14
Progress: Perimeter secured, initial entry made
Notes:
The factory, abandoned since a fire in 1962 claimed 47 workers, spans three floors of rusted looms, broken conveyor belts, and charred brick walls. The team entered through the loading bay on the ground floor, equipped with reinforced protective gear, vibration dampeners, and mirrored visors to counter reported anomalies. The hum intensified immediately upon crossing the threshold, registering at 9 Hz with intermittent spikes to 13 Hz—frequencies known to induce unease and disorientation.
Within ten meters, the first hazard emerged: reflective surfaces. Shards of shattered mirrors litter the floor, embedded in the concrete like shrapnel. These fragments do not reflect the surroundings accurately—some show inverted landscapes, others display grotesque, shifting shapes. One explorer, brushing against a shard, recoiled as their visor reflected their own form clawing at its throat. Moments later, they drove a utility knife into their own chest, severing an artery. Three others fell to similar fates within minutes, slashing at their necks or wrists after glancing at the glass. Orders were issued to avoid all reflective surfaces.
At thirty meters, near the base of a collapsed stairwell, the air grew thick with dust that shimmered faintly, as if laced with mica. Analysis revealed it to be pulverized bone, its origin unclear. Breathing masks clogged within an hour, and two explorers suffocated after the dust hardened into a clay-like mass in their throats. A bypass was found through a side corridor littered with rusted sewing machines, their needles inexplicably vibrating at 11 Hz despite decades of disuse. One machine sprang to life as an explorer passed, driving a needle through their hand and pinning it to the table. Attempts to free them triggered the device to accelerate, shredding their arm to the elbow before it was destroyed with a sledgehammer.
A secondary post was established on the first floor, 60 meters in. Readings escalated:
- Vibration Intensity: 45 µm/s (threshold for structural damage), causing teeth to rattle and joints to ache.
- Light Distortion Index: 1.8 (normal: 1.0), bending shadows into jagged, claw-like forms.
- Airborne Particle Density: 12 mg/m³ of bone dust, corrosive to exposed flesh over time.
November 21, 1983
Losses: 19
Progress: Second floor breached
Notes:
The ascent to the second floor required climbing a crumbling stairwell slick with a viscous, tar-like residue. Samples indicate it’s organic, with traces of keratin and blood plasma, though its source remains unidentified. The substance adheres to boots and gloves, hardening into brittle spikes that pierce through gear. Four explorers lost footing, impaling themselves on jagged protrusions as they fell. One survivor, dragged back up, clawed at their own eyes, shrieking about "seeing themselves unravel." Sedation failed; they succumbed to shock.
The second floor houses rows of looms, many intact but coated in the same bone dust. The hum here peaks at 15 Hz, accompanied by a rhythmic thudding—like footsteps pacing an unseen path. Shadows cast by flashlights twist and coil, occasionally lunging at their owners. One explorer’s shadow seized their arm, forcing their hand to smash a mirror shard into their own skull. Another’s silhouette wrapped around their neck, strangling them until their spine snapped. Orders were issued to minimize light use, relying instead on vibration sensors to navigate.
At 80 meters, a wide chamber opens—a former overseer’s office with panoramic windows, all shattered. The bone dust swirls in eddies, forming fleeting shapes: elongated limbs, gaping maws. Contact with the dust now burns, raising welts that split into oozing sores. Three explorers succumbed as the sores spread, their bodies collapsing into brittle husks as if hollowed out. A barricade was erected, but the dust breached it, claiming two more who clawed their own throats open in a frenzy to "stop the reflection inside."
Measurements intensified:
- Acoustic Resonance: 72 dB at 15 Hz, inducing vertigo and hallucinations of mirrored selves.
- Thermal Gradient: -3°C divergence from ambient (external temp: 8°C), coldest near reflective surfaces.
- Magnetic Field Skew: 18° deviation from true north, shifting erratically.
November 23, 1983
Losses: 22
Progress: Third floor reached, the horror glimpsed
Notes:
The final ascent involved a freight elevator shaft, its cables severed. Explorers rappelled up using reinforced ropes, though the tar-like residue coated the walls, snapping two lines and sending their occupants plummeting onto rusted machinery below. The third floor, a vast weaving hall, reeks of decay. The hum crescendos to 17 Hz, shaking the floorboards, while bone dust hangs thick, reducing visibility to three meters.
At the hall’s center, a figure looms—15 meters tall, suspended in a web of taut, glistening threads. Its form is skeletal, draped in tattered cloth that writhes like living tendrils. Mirrors of varying sizes orbit it, each reflecting not the room but distorted, screaming visages. Its head, a featureless expanse of polished bone, tilts as if aware of the intruders. From its core, a pulse of vibration—19 Hz—radiates, cracking the ribs of an explorer standing too close.
Direct exposure to its presence unravels the mind. One explorer gazed into a orbiting mirror and tore their own jaw off, claiming their reflection demanded it. Another gouged out their eyes with a shard, laughing as blood pooled. A third hacked at their own legs with an axe, shrieking about "cutting the strings." The horror’s threads lashed out, ensnaring two others; their bodies unraveled into ribbons of flesh, woven into the web.
Readings spiked:
- Vibration Amplitude: 120 µm/s, fracturing bones with prolonged exposure.
- Reflection Distortion Factor: 3.4, mirrors showing multiple overlapping forms per individual.
- Air Ionization: 8,500 ions/cm³, stinging the lungs and eyes.
November 25, 1983
Chosen: 7
Progress: Sacrifice devised, horror confronted
Notes:
Ancient records unearthed from a nearby archive mention a deity of *Refraction and Self-Destruction*, revered by weavers who vanished in the 14th century. It feeds on the terror of one’s own image turned traitor—mirrors are its altars, self-mutilation its offerings. The number seven recurs in the texts, tied to the seven looms said to have bound it centuries ago.
The Sacrifice:
Seven individuals were selected, each armed with a shard of mirror from the factory. They were positioned in a heptagon around the horror, instructed to face their reflections without flinching. The ritual demanded they confront their distorted selves—images that clawed, gnashed, and beckoned—while resisting the urge to destroy themselves. At the center, a pyre of bone dust and tar was ignited, its smoke amplifying the mirrors’ distortions.
The horror thrashed as the chosen stood firm. One faltered, slashing their own throat; the threads seized them, weaving their remains into the web. Another drove a shard into their chest, collapsing as their reflection applauded. The remaining five endured, their reflections growing feral—tearing at their own forms within the glass. Blood streamed from their noses and ears as the vibration hit 21 Hz, but they held. The pyre flared, consuming the dust, and the mirrors shattered in unison.
A deafening screech erupted—25 Hz, rupturing eardrums—and the horror’s threads snapped. Its form collapsed into a pile of ash and bone, leaving a single artifact: a palm-sized mirror frame, empty, inscribed with jagged runes reading “FACE THYSELF.” The hum ceased. The factory fell silent.
Final Measurements:
- Vibration: 0 Hz
- EMI: 12 µV/m
- Air Ionization: 200 ions/cm³
- Reflection: Normal
Summary:
Mission successful. Artifact secured, horror banished, losses acceptable.
Financial Costs:
- Equipment: $3,890,200
- Salaries: $65,400
- Death Insurance: $210,000
