The moth man.

[Kolya]

I logged in here for the first time nearly five years ago. Not long after that I found myself working with Ron to bust up a cult in southwestern Missouri. It turns out that the cult was a scheme of some sort of a moth man. That night I put some rounds into the fiend but it still was able to escape. I don't know what from all of my experiences since then the moth man has influenced, but I have no doubt that it's been several. And now the moth man seems to be turning up the heat.

On 25 January—my 5 year anniversary here—I was driving back from an investigation into some claims of witchcraft in a very small town out in the countryside. It was somewhere between very early morning and early morning. The trees lining the road side flew by as the vehicle's headlights pierced the darkness surrounding us, being me, Lyosha, and Sasha. I was driving way too fast but at this rate we would be in St. Petersburg just in time to catch an early flight back to Moscow, put in a full day of work, and maybe get some rest.

We were all on-edge because of what had happened to our friends Ron and Hannah. Most of my team knows them personally and consider ourselves to be friends, especially Natasha and Hannah. I've already started to make so at least one or two of us will be able to fly to the States to assist in any operations there surrounding the Caliburns.

“Kolya,” Lyosha said from the passenger seat next to me. “We're being followed. It's airborne. Standby.”

I started checking the mirrors and looking out the windows on instinct. But I saw nothing. “Sasha, anything?” I asked.

“Negative. Whatever it is, it's solid,” he replied.

“Gargoyle?” I asked.

“Don't know yet,” Lyosha replied. “But it's gaining on us.”

I let my foot off the accelerator. I couldn't outrun this thing anyway and if I needed to be evasive it would be easier and safer to do it slower speeds.

“Overhead,” Lyosha said. And then in a few more seconds, “in front of us.

Sasha meanwhile was fishing out our gear from the back of the vehicle and were putting on as much kit as we could while in a moving vehicle. Lyosha had to break concentration after informing us that the monster that was flying in front of us was coming straight at us so that he could don some kit.

And that was when I saw something falling out of the sky and enter the upper limits of the vehicle's headlights. The object slammed into the ground as I gently turned the wheel to avoid hitting it without jerking the wheel too much and lose control of the vehicle. I brought the vehicle to a stop, slung my VSS rifle and clicked on my nightvision goggles.

“It's hovering nearby,” Lyosha said, pointing north, “but I can't see it, it's hiding in the trees, I guess.”

“I'm gonna check that thing out in the road,” I said and began walking down the middle of the road. It wasn't long that I could pretty clearly a shattered leg and arm; it was a severely contorted human body. I reached the body and started looking for a neck to check the pulse but only found frozen fringes of a neck missing a head. At -15 degrees F, this body could still be a fresh kill for the monster following us. I stood up and returned to the vehicle where my team was waiting, standing guard. “It's a body, no head,” I explained, as I walked to my driver-side door to get my radio. “I'm gonna call it in, we'll sit tight unless that monster moves,” I said. I also requested that the support team brought Natasha along with them, we could use her wards to potentially trap the monster and destroy it. If it was the moth man there's no way to bind it and interrogate it. There's really only one option, and that's to destroy it. Which was perfectly fine with me.

While I was waiting for confirmation to come back from command on the radio I experienced a vision—injected in my brain by a supernatural source—that seemed to have lasted for several minutes but in reality it was only a couple of seconds as it occurred while I was still on the radio. Still it was vivid and while I knew that it wasn't real on some level of consciousness, it felt so incredibly real that it kind of left me in a daze for about a minute after it ended. For OPSEC reasons I won't share any details except for this. The smell of filth and cigarette smoke filled my nostrils as I found myself hunched down, rifle in hand, and listening to something going on around the corner. I noticed that my hand was resting on Ron's shoulder so that I would know the moment he moved that I should move, too. We were on a mission together, but I didn't know where or why. I just knew that I couldn't let Ron down and that wherever we were and whyever we were there, it was important that the mission get successfully accomplished. As Ron moved I followed close behind him. I heard the thump of his silenced weapon and then I saw a blade flash in the low light that severed his head from his body and as it fell lifeless to the floor I looked up and saw a monster I had never seen before. I pulled the trigger but the gun didn't fire. I let it drop on my tactical sling as I drew a pistol and pulled the trigger. Same thing. Nothing happened. I went for my knife but the vision ended with the fucking monster snarling and looking smug.

By the time the support team arrived—it took them some time to load up and cover the long drive to our position—I was more or less back to normal. The sound of the vehicle's diesel engine rattling in the cold, crisp air washed all of the residuals in my mind and my ears. I looked up and saw Natasha walking over. It was good to see Natasha. There's an aura about her that you don't have to be psychic to see that just makes thing better when she's around. She had already told us over the radio about what happened to her while walking to her hotel in St. Petersburg after leaving the office. Still she smiled as she approached. It been some days since we were all together again as a team. As we approached the monster's hide it flew away. We investigated the area where it was hanging out but found nothing useful.

By this time none of us had a doubt about what were up against. The moth man I shot in Missouri five years ago with Ron. A bit later Ron had another encounter with the moth man which indicated that it and Not Ron were at least aware of each other's existence. In fact, a few times while communicating with Ron, he hinted at some connections between the moth man and dym.

As we were walking back Natasha said with her voice somewhat muffled by her balaclava, “Your moth man has impeccable timing.”

I replied, “yea, I don't believe for a moment that this isn't a coordinated attack by Ron's enemies and my own.”

[Holister]

Holly heck, how the hell are ya' Koyla. Glad you're still with us.

I knew it though. Things were a lil' too quiet. Now we got things poppin' up all over and workin' together too.

Man did I pick a hell of a time to come out of retierment.

[Professor Ali]

Your story had me captivated. It resonated. I must admit that I am dealing with an unresolved monster as well, but mine does not fly. Perhaps I am missing something, either because I am new to this way or life or perhaps it is a cultural difference. What is a moth man and dym?

Also, why would this creature taunt you but not attack you when you were at your most vulnerable? Is this something that the monster does regularly?

[Kolya]

Your story had me captivated. It resonated. I must admit that I am dealing with an unresolved monster as well, but mine does not fly. Perhaps I am missing something, either because I am new to this way or life or perhaps it is a cultural difference. What is a moth man and dym?

Moth man is a monster that likes to play games and pull strings on its puppets. It is incredibly persuasive and gets people to do what it wants by convincing them that it's an angel or prophet. While the monster itself is not physically or even psychically powerful, it is difficult to deal with. I first encountered this monster when in the United States; Ron Caliburn and I busted a cult in Missouri. It has surfaced a few times since but that night in Missouri was the only time I got shots off at it.

dym is the name assumed by a goqua that singled out Natasha for mental torture having somehow learned of her tumultuous childhood and early life at the hands of her father, brother, and uncle. Goquas are particularly nasty monsters that love to torment and torture, and I have to say, are hard to bring down, but it was destroyed. Several members here, some still active, have had one or more experiences with dym - including the destruction of the monster. The details of the destruction were never posted, however, some day they might be.

Also, why would this creature taunt you but not attack you when you were at your most vulnerable? Is this something that the monster does regularly?

Excellent questions, and I'm not sure that I know the answer. Apparently the moth man enjoys being a shot caller and feeding off the pain and suffering of people as a result of its actions. It's not really intersted in killing - although it obviously isn't adverse to killing - it's more interested in causing pain.

It knows as well as I do that if it confronts me, I'll destroy it. So I was not worried to hold position on the road while waiting for the support team to investigate the corpse.

I need to corner this moth man but they're hard to corner, but I'm working on a plan. It seems determined to press the issue which is fine with me. I will destroy it or chase it out of our world.

Obviously I'd much prefer to destroy it.

[Hannah]

Kolya, I'm sure my dad would give you some kind of tough guy motivation speech here, but since he isn't around I guess it falls to me, so here it goes.


Kick it's ass back to hell.


I hope that was right.

[Kolya]

Thanks.

But you really just be yourself, Hannah.

[Grace]

Thanks.

But you really just be yourself, Hannah.

Agreed.

That having been said...

Just remember when you go someplace to kick ass and chew bubble gum, it is always best to leave the gum at home.

[Ron Caliburn]

Not exactly what I'd say, but the spirit was right.

[Kolya]

Thanks.

But you really just be yourself, Hannah.

Agreed.

That having been said...

Just remember when you go someplace to kick ass and chew bubble gum, it is always best to leave the gum at home.

If I go someplace to kick ass, that's all I'm planning on doing.