Invasion of the Baby Snatchers

[Professor Ali]

I am new to this. I thought that I should clarify some of the events that occurred and were referenced in another thread. I believe that this forum is the proper place for such things.

The events of my war story began several months in Ohio. I am Professor Ali, history professor. I will decline at this time from giving my full name nor identifying which university at which I work because I am already in trouble with dean. Two years ago, I began having strange dreams about a monster roaming the woods near our community. A college of mine, the good Father John also of the history department, recruited me and an athletic student of ours to join us in his expedition to find the creature. He was very insistent. As a result of that encounter (which did not go so well), we decided to work together again should a similar problem develop. My workload prevents me from recording the entire story in one sitting, and I thought that it was better to share what information I can when I can rather than waiting until I have the entire work recording.

That is when things became very interesting. The following is an account, as well as I can remember the details, of our investigation and the unresolved dangers encountered during it. Our young athlete friend, Remy, has named this case, "Invasion of the Baby Snatchers." I think this is a reference to the title of one of the hip-hop songs of which he is so fond.

A week has passed since our initial investigation. I had managed to stay out of the pill bottle but regretably not out of the wine bottle. I would like to say that my progress was entirely a matter of willpower, but some credit should also be given to young Remy who was my peddler.

Remy agreed to stop peddling and instead became hired at a local gun club, the Silver Bullet Society. The work suited him well, but the low pay was bothering him.

Father John concerned himself mostly with his duties as both a priest and a college instructor. He also spent much time working with young Remy to keep the youth out of the trouble and develop his talents. On a Sunday afternoon, after mass, when Father John received an urgent page to check his email. Returning home, he sees that he had a new assignment. There had been a rash of child kidnappings recently, all involving infants. None were older than 6 months of age. The locations appeared to be randomly scattered around central Ohio. Police were working on matching a pattern, without success. I had seen some of the reports in our newspaper, but the media did not realize the scale of the disappearances; 30 infants in the last 30 days, one a night! Father John has shared the contents of his e-mail with me.

Name: Tyrese Ironmonger, Sex: Male, Age: 5 months, Birth Order: Only Child, Address: 1 S Main St, Mt Vernon, OH

Name: Max Tennant, Sex: Male, Age: 1 month, Birth Order: Only Child, Address: 101 W High St, Mt Vernon, OH

Name: Kameron Pirl, Sex: Male, Age: 2 months, Birth Order: Only Child, Address: 105 Bell St, Bellville, OH

Name: Thomas Toulmin, Sex: Male, Age: 6 months, Birth Order: Only Child, Address: 107 Chase Ave, Gambier, OH

Name: Marla Crissman, Sex: Female, Age: 2 months, Birth Order: Only Child, Address: 1080 Homer Rd NW, Utica, OH

Name: Eduardo Butler, Sex: Male, Age: 3 months, Birth Order: Only Child, Address: 110 E Liberty St, Martinsburg, OH

Name: Elliot Patterson, Sex: Male, Age: 1 month, Birth Order: Only Child, Address: 112 W 1st St, Perrysville, OH

Name: Darcy Neely, Sex: Female, Age: 5 months, Birth Order: Only Child, Address: 124 Bridge St, Warsaw, OH

Name: Luann Cowper, Sex: Female, Age: 4 months, Birth Order: Only Child, Address: 124 S Water St, Loudonville, OH

Name: Tommie Mcelroy, Sex: Male, Age: 2 months, Birth Order: Only Child, Address: 125 Main St, Glenmont, OH

Name: Robbie Patterson, Sex: Male, Age: 2 months, Birth Order: Only Child, Address: 14 S High St, Croton, OH

Name: Rebecca Rogers, Sex: Female, Age: 2 months, Birth Order: Only Child, Address: 14 W Elm St, Butler, OH

Name: Yasmine Mitchell, Sex: Female, Age: 4 months, Birth Order: Only Child, Address: 180 Homer Rd NW, Homer, OH

Name: Eddie Warner, Sex: Male, Age: 1 month, Birth Order: Only Child, Address: 2 W Main St, Alexandria, OH

Name: Tatum Rumbaugh, Sex: Female, Age: 5 months, Birth Order: Only Child, Address: 20 N Main St, Utica, OH

Name: Fionn Sandford, Sex: Male, Age: 2 months, Birth Order: Only Child, Address: 204 High St, Danville, OH

Name: Irene Beck, Sex: Female, Age: 6 months, Birth Order: Only Child, Address: 211 W Coshocton St, Johnstown, OH

Name: Jonah Haverrman, Sex: Male, Age: 3 months, Birth Order: Only Child, Address: 23359 Coshocton Rd, Howard, OH

Name: Leonardo Benford, Sex: Male, Age: 4 months, Birth Order: Only Child, Address: 24 High St, Brinkhaven, OH

Name: Jesus Fleming, Sex: Male, Age: 4 months, Birth Order: Only Child, Address: 25941 New Guilford Rd, Bladensburg, OH

Name: Kimberly Monroe, Sex: Female, Age: 5 months, Birth Order: Only Child, Address: 27 N Sugar St, St Louisville, OH

Name: Caitlyn Chapman, Sex: Female, Age: 5 months, Birth Order: Only Child, Address: 33118 State Route 715, Walhonding, OH

Name: Elmer Edwards, Sex: Male, Age: 3 months, Birth Order: Only Child, Address: 414 Market St, Danville, OH

Name: Vaughn Erskine, Sex: Male, Age: 6 months, Birth Order: Only Child, Address: 44 E Sandusky St, Chesterville, OH

Name: Brent Wolfe, Sex: Male, Age: 1 month, Birth Order: Only Child, Address: 55 N Clayton St, Centerburg, OH

Name: Gwen Erschoff, Sex: Female, Age: 1 month, Birth Order: Only Child, Address: 67 N Pleasant St, Fredericktown, OH

Name: Virgil Reade, Sex: Male, Age: 4 months, Birth Order: Only Child, Address: 70 E Church St, Newark, OH

Name: Jalen Evans, Sex: Male, Age: 1 month, Birth Order: Only Child, Address: 7764 Obannon Rd, Nashport, OH

Name: Jerry Perkins, Sex: Male, Age: 1 month, Birth Order: Only Child, Address: 789 Hebron Rd, Heath, OH

[Grace]

All are single children.

Nineteen are male.

Ten are female.

Six Month Olds taken:
(Three total, two male, one female)

Name: Thomas Toulmin, Sex: Male, Age: 6 months, Birth Order: Only Child, Address: 107 Chase Ave, Gambier, OH

Name: Irene Beck, Sex: Female, Age: 6 months, Birth Order: Only Child, Address: 211 W Coshocton St, Johnstown, OH

Name: Vaughn Erskine, Sex: Male, Age: 6 months, Birth Order: Only Child, Address: 44 E Sandusky St, Chesterville, OH

Five Month Olds Taken:
(Five total, one male, four female)

Name: Tyrese Ironmonger, Sex: Male, Age: 5 months, Birth Order: Only Child, Address: 1 S Main St, Mt Vernon, OH

Name: Darcy Neely, Sex: Female, Age: 5 months, Birth Order: Only Child, Address: 124 Bridge St, Warsaw, OH

Name: Tatum Rumbaugh, Sex: Female, Age: 5 months, Birth Order: Only Child, Address: 20 N Main St, Utica, OH

Name: Kimberly Monroe, Sex: Female, Age: 5 months, Birth Order: Only Child, Address: 27 N Sugar St, St Louisville, OH

Name: Caitlyn Chapman, Sex: Female, Age: 5 months, Birth Order: Only Child, Address: 33118 State Route 715, Walhonding, OH

Four Month Olds taken:
(Five total, three male, two female)

Name: Luann Cowper, Sex: Female, Age: 4 months, Birth Order: Only Child, Address: 124 S Water St, Loudonville, OH

Name: Yasmine Mitchell, Sex: Female, Age: 4 months, Birth Order: Only Child, Address: 180 Homer Rd NW, Homer, OH

Name: Leonardo Benford, Sex: Male, Age: 4 months, Birth Order: Only Child, Address: 24 High St, Brinkhaven, OH

Name: Jesus Fleming, Sex: Male, Age: 4 months, Birth Order: Only Child, Address: 25941 New Guilford Rd, Bladensburg, OH

Name: Virgil Reade, Sex: Male, Age: 4 months, Birth Order: Only Child, Address: 70 E Church St, Newark, OH

Three Month Olds taken:
(Three taken, all male)

Name: Eduardo Butler, Sex: Male, Age: 3 months, Birth Order: Only Child, Address: 110 E Liberty St, Martinsburg, OH

Name: Jonah Haverrman, Sex: Male, Age: 3 months, Birth Order: Only Child, Address: 23359 Coshocton Rd, Howard, OH

Name: Elmer Edwards, Sex: Male, Age: 3 months, Birth Order: Only Child, Address: 414 Market St, Danville, OH

Two Month Olds taken:
(Six taken, four male, two female)

Name: Kameron Pirl, Sex: Male, Age: 2 months, Birth Order: Only Child, Address: 105 Bell St, Bellville, OH

Name: Marla Crissman, Sex: Female, Age: 2 months, Birth Order: Only Child, Address: 1080 Homer Rd NW, Utica, OH

Name: Tommie Mcelroy, Sex: Male, Age: 2 months, Birth Order: Only Child, Address: 125 Main St, Glenmont, OH

Name: Robbie Patterson, Sex: Male, Age: 2 months, Birth Order: Only Child, Address: 14 S High St, Croton, OH

Name: Rebecca Rogers, Sex: Female, Age: 2 months, Birth Order: Only Child, Address: 14 W Elm St, Butler, OH

Name: Fionn Sandford, Sex: Male, Age: 2 months, Birth Order: Only Child, Address: 204 High St, Danville, OH

Number of One Month Olds taken:
(Seven taken, six male, one female).

Name: Max Tennant, Sex: Male, Age: 1 month, Birth Order: Only Child, Address: 101 W High St, Mt Vernon, OH

Name: Elliot Patterson, Sex: Male, Age: 1 month, Birth Order: Only Child, Address: 112 W 1st St, Perrysville, OH

Name: Eddie Warner, Sex: Male, Age: 1 month, Birth Order: Only Child, Address: 2 W Main St, Alexandria, OH

Name: Brent Wolfe, Sex: Male, Age: 1 month, Birth Order: Only Child, Address: 55 N Clayton St, Centerburg, OH

Name: Gwen Erschoff, Sex: Female, Age: 1 month, Birth Order: Only Child, Address: 67 N Pleasant St, Fredericktown, OH

Name: Jalen Evans, Sex: Male, Age: 1 month, Birth Order: Only Child, Address: 7764 Obannon Rd, Nashport, OH

Name: Jerry Perkins, Sex: Male, Age: 1 month, Birth Order: Only Child, Address: 789 Hebron Rd, Heath, OH

Trends:

Excepting 3 month olds, the number in each age category goes up, the younger the category. Three month olds is exceptional also in that it's the only age category with only one gender (male).

I would want to see if there was anything exceptional going on in either October 2009 (when the three month olds were being born) or in January 2009 (when they were being conceived).

Six month olds and three month olds are the smallest age categories with only three children each.

An abnormal number of females seems to be taken in the five month old category. This is the highest number of females taken in any of the age categories.

The one month old category has a high number of male abuductions and is only one female away from repeating the trend of the three month olds (with only one sex taken).

Still, more data is required. The order of the abductions, for example.

Anything else exceptional would be useful.

[Ron Caliburn]

pardon the pun, but isn't 29 a rather odd number?

30 works with 3, 5, 6 and 10 and is just one more.

32 starts working 4s, 8s and 16s and is just 3 more.

36 starts working 3s, 4s, 6s, 9s and 12s and is just 7 more

39 is three 13s.

In short, I think there's more to this. My educated guess is 36 may be the magic number.

[Grace]

That would not surprise me, Mr. Caliburn.

First of all there is that gap in the three month olds.

And perhaps there are some others as well.

Say there are three more three month olds unaccounted for. That brings the total to 32.

Then add two seven month olds that may have been missed, bringing the total to 34.

Perhaps also a single eight month old and a single nine month old. Or other possible combinations.

I wonder if there are some that were missed simply because the couple(s) moved in the last year? Either had a heads up or just plain lucky. Or perhaps not so lucky if the facts aren't checked against other states.

[Ron Caliburn]

Or it's not finished.

[Grace]

A definite possibility.

And there may be no more connection between the abductees than babies of that age range are especially delicious.

[Professor Ali]

I admit, I had not noticed these patterns. Thank you for this enlightening analysis. I will attempt to provide any more data that I can. This string of kidnappings has stopped for the moment, but I fear that it could start again at any time due to the continuing activity of the creature responsible. As you both have guessed, there was at least one more attempted kidnapping. I will tell that story soon. Now, it is time for class.

[Professor Ali]

After reading the text message that Father John sent to me alerting me of the abductions, I scratched his chin for a while. I had started growing out a beard for religious reasons, and the stubble was well into the itchy phase. I leaned back in his chair and propped his feet onto his desk. Dust rose into the air in response. I had been smoking much the previous week, so a thick layer of ash covered everything in my office. I had three hours to spend before it was time to meet the others at the shooting range across town. Despite the pile of papers I had to grade, I briefly considered spending that time at the bar just off of campus. "No," I thought aloud, "the priest will probably be giving me breathalyser test." Instead, I decided to continue reading his copy of A Zombie Survival Guide.

Half an hour later, I picked up the phone. My recent discovery of the Jott Network service allowed me to send text messages without need of both thumbs. I needed his other hand to smoke a my cheap cigar. "After I finish this smoke," I reasoned, "I'll bring some papers and red pen with me on the autobus." Into the phone I spoke, "Got your message. Taking bus. Should I bring tools?"

Father John suggested that I bring my hatchet but that the boomstick would be too conspicuous. While waiting for me and Remy, Father John continued his research and found another connection. All the parents in were relatively young, 18 to 20 years of age. Not really surprising, considering all the children were also their first and only child. But the parents, in most cases, were also not legal married and those that were married after having the child.

He also plotted a path by tracing the location of the abductions in sequence. This is the resulting map.

[Ron Caliburn]

Nice spiral - what's at the centre?

[Professor Ali]

A good question. It turns out that a rival college was in that location. I am getting ahead of myself...

I arrived with a rapid and loud knocking at the door to announce my presence. "Father John the Wise, Remy the Quick, your third musketeer has arrived! I am Ali the Handsome. How may I use my superpowers to help you?"

Remi briefed me on the situation while Father John printed his map. Then turned more serious. "The creature we found in the woods scared some children, but I don't think it kidnapped anyone. This kidnapper must be a different sort, yes?"

After studying the map and other information, Father John sat back and said to Remy, "I know you watch movies. Ever see the Ten Commandments? Charleton Heston? The first born of Egypt were killed in one night and it wasn't just children. It was ALL first born."

Remy replied, "Yeah, that's right. That s*** was crazy. You think that's what all this about?"

Then Remy nodded to me in acknowledgement. "You look a hell of a lot better man. How you feel?" The young man smiled a bit. He seemed like he was enjoying the sense of brotherhood developing within our group.

I answered, "We all look marvelous. I feel like the superhero, but with no leotard."

I tried to think how a criminal investigator from television would proceed. "Can we get the exact birth dates of the children? If they were all born on the same day, there might be an astrology connection. It wouldn't be the first time that a criminal used astrology as a m.o."

To me, the Father said, "This almost looks like a search pattern. Like they are trying to find a specific child. All of the children were born in May, so that makes them either a Taurus or Gemini." Then he checked Wikipedia for information on these two signs. "There doesn't seem to be anything that stands out with these two though at least from what I see. If we follow the pattern on this map, it would look like the next child to be abducted, if there is another, will be somewhere east of this golf course." He then searched to find a local newspaper for the area and does a search for any birth announcements for the last 8 months.
Upon seeing the map, I was amazed. The monster is dizzy -- and scared of interstates!"

There were several births for that area in the previous eight months. Only one matched the profile that we established. Kara Evens, born 2 months ago to Susan Evans, a single mother of 20 (twenty years old, not twenty children). She lived in a trailer park located east of the golf course at the intersection of Killduff Road and Kokosing Gap Trail.

I said, "You have solved the mystery already? Very good! We will go to save the infantile baby."

Father John said, "Gear up, gentlemen. Hopefully I'm wrong about this, but if I'm not then there's a little girl out there that needs our help."

Remy answered, "I'm ready to roll, son. Even grabbed the Hotspitter from the glove box." He pulled out a submachine gun from his jacket and a large smile appeared on his face.

At the sight of the gun, I became a little nervous I suppose. Baby-eating monsters are one thing, but Remy with a machine is the most dangerous thing ever. "I have what I will need, I suppose. I have been practicing the mind-brain use and learned the new tricks. If there is nasty monster thing there, Ali will be finding it. I did not bring my -- what do you say? -- my hotspitter. The bus driver doesn't like seeing it on the bus. Next time, I will take taxi. Instead, I have my hatchet." I tapped my coat pocket.

Father John took his gear, suited up himself, and grabbed his keys.

[Professor Ali]

As Remy would say, we piled into Father John's car. Actually, there was not a pile of heroes. We each sat in a different seat. Driving with urgency, Father John makes trip of roughly 240 kilometers in 2 hours. Fortunately, we did not run into any speed traps on the way.

Well into early evening, we came within about a few kilometers of the trailer park, where Grove Church Road meets Newcastle Road. That was when I felt something terrible in the pit of his stomach. I was reminded all over again about his first encounter with the supernatural. I felt a strong desire to retch, accompanied by a pronounced longing for hard drink.

I told the others, "Stop the automobile! I have that feeling again. This is strong. Like I just ate the wax fruit, but this time I ate the bowl with it. I will try to pin it down." Leaned over to be catching my breath and sense of a solid ground on the side of the road, I opened myself to the feeling. "South, I think. Wait! The other south -- west!"

I remember the words very clearly. Remy looked over to Father John and said, "Better get your boy in line. The compass seems to be off his game." The young man checked and re-checked his weapons with a cold look on his face. "Whatever this f***in thing is, I'm gonna waste the s*** out of it if it hurts any damn babies. That's some cold a** s*** there man."

Next, I sat on the side of the road and peer past the nausea into the future. I couldn't see it.

Father John said doing something with his telephone. He said, "Shut up." Starting the car back up, he looked at Remy. "Get Ali back in the car now! We're heading north." Once I was in the vehicle, Father John drove like a mad man to where the child should be. A look of pure determination was carved into his unfortunate face.

It was sundown when we arrived at the trailer park. We easily found the trailer belonging to a Mrs. Evans, and we could hear a child crying inside of it. Father John parking the car in the shadows, but within view of the trailer. He looked to Remy and said, "Go around to the back of the trailer and keep any eye on things from that side. You see anything, give a call." He grabbed Remy by the arm and said, "Do NOT start shooting. We can't afford to have anyone hurt. Especially by us."

Remy answered, "Cool out b****!" Remy jerked his arm away with a sour look on his face. He left the car, mumbling something about 'f***in respect' before walking towards the back of the trailer, leaving the door open behind him.

Father John looked at me first and asked, "You still getting any feelings?" Whatever I had felt earlier was either too far away or had stopped doing what it was doing.

All the windows in the front are curtained, so the only thing I and Father John saw were is the occasional shadow of someone passing by in front of them; carrying something and pacing? I don't know if Remy's view any better. I was not feeling the wax fruit, but I was beginning to feel the shakes.

I excused himself for a few minutes at sunset to say evening prayers in private. Soon, I was back to the car and smoking again.

After almost an hour, the wailing child was apparently quieted by its mother. The lights in the front windows of the trailer went out. I smoked through most of my cigarettes in that hour that spent waiting with Father John.

Father John received a text message from Remy which read, "Clear here. Just put kid 2 bed. I c crib & baby"

Ali suggested, "In my dream, the creature seemed to pay more attention to me when I used powers. It may have been tracking me, or it may have known where I was the entire time and was playing with me. I think that perhaps when I open myself to the dark things, they can sense me as well. We might have frightened away the babysnatcher earlier when I opened myself up. Now, I am completely open like your friend taught me to be. I definitely felt something earlier, but now it is too far away or too completely gone. I could try closing down again for a few minutes and seeing if that provokes a reaction. What do you think?"

Closing his phone after reading the text from Remy, Father John said, "Sounds like a good idea." He then fiddled with his phone some more and handed it over to me. He said, "I believe this is why you were feeling ill on the road back there." On the phone was a webpage.

I closed my mind for a few minutes and focused on reading the webpage. It was interesting information, stuff I would like to investigate some other time. I did not see any connections, however, with the present situation. None of the names mentioned struck any memories either. The reading brought on a yawn which I couldn't fight back. "Sorry, Father. I did not see anything I recognized. Is interesting, yes. Maybe I should walk a little and refresh the air."

[Professor Ali]

A few minutes after I left the car, I noticed that the crickets had stopped chirping. In fact, there was no natural night sounds being generated at all. They had all just stopped dead, leaving an eerie silence. Every sound I made was abrasively loud in my own ears, from my breathing to the sound of my feet treading on the ground.

I heard Remy whistle and rustle bushes from the other side of the trailer. I dropped my cigarette at the sound. I began to think that I made a mistake by shutting off my active radar. As I reached for my hatchet, I opened myself mentally again.

"Father, something has happened. I'm moving in closer."

I did indeed feel a pull toward Remy's location. I found Remy by a trailer window, though I also smelled a whiff of the foulness. Thinking at first that Remy had bowel trouble, I dismissed the notion and looked for auras.

I detected the aura of a small creature located just above the nursery window. It was supernatural in nature, possessed psionics, and there was an enchantment emanating from it as well. It was relatively weak in strength. I knew, I could just tell, that this was the foul thing which had brought us there.

[Hannah]

Didja get it?

Hannah

PS: Well, didja?

[Slendy Hunter]

Small, psionic, hunts babies... Could be one of those demons that pose as teddy bears. Could be a vengeful ghost. Could be something more unique.

Too bad this Ali guy doesn't post more often.

[Hannah]

It happens a lot around here. Lots of folks go silent after a while.

Sometimes they come back, sometimes they don't.

There's a few folks who we know hat happened to, but it's a pretty short list compared to the number of silent accounts.

Hannah

PS: Ali's gone quiet before, so I'm not counting him out yet.

[Slendy Hunter]

I wasn't counting him out, just commenting I wished he posted more often... It'd be helpful.