Contains spoilers for Aurora Hills: Chapter 1!
October 6, 1981
This morning began like any other: waking up from a restless sleep, preparing for the day ahead of me and driving to the ranger station where I’ve worked for the past 11 years. Aurora Hills was once a lively community nestled within the mountains of Appalachia, but as I drive through the now dilapidated town, the beauty of the early autumn surroundings is at the very back of my mind. My thoughts drift off to what kind of day will be ahead of me. Will we go searching for one of the disappearances from the region? Perhaps closing off one of the many now unused hiking trails in the national park? Or will it be another quiet, dreary day?
Jen wasn’t at the ranger station when I arrived this morning. Being the only other park ranger besides myself, she set off early in the morning to one of the areas where someone had recently vanished. Despite my repeated warnings, she ventured off alone and set up camp off one of the established hiking trails. Following her tracks and the clues she set out for me, I arrived at her camp expecting to find her waiting for me. After preparing to unleash my annoyance and indignation at her reckless behavior, my thoughts quickly turned to confusion, concern and then dread. Her camp was ransacked and she was nowhere to be seen. Why did she go out alone? Did the same thing happen to her as had happened to the others? Did someone take her? A wild animal? Or perhaps something far more covert and mysterious is behind all of this?
It is easy to get lost after deviating from the established trails. Nature appears endless and the forest seems to repeat the farther I go. Every now and then, however, abandoned structures and complexes can be found scattered around the mountains. The Appalachian region had an abundant industry and remnants of the past are often stumbled upon by explorers. Less common are reports of illicit encampments from unruly inhabitants or of abandoned farmsteads dotting the mountainsides. However, the most unusual reports have been far stranger, often mythified into urban legends rather than historical accounts. Stories about strange sounds and flashing lights, sightings of unusually tall figures prowling the forests and of ghost towns hidden amongst dense, white fog. These tales have long been whispered among local residents and by journeying deep into the unknown, I’ll substantiate their validity.
Following Jen might get more difficult moving forward, especially now that I won’t be able to rely on tracking her clues. Even up until now, many obstacles have hindered my progress, almost as if some cosmic being is watching and mocking my every move. I fear my journey will only get more difficult from here. The feeling of being watched increases the deeper I go and I’m starting to feel like a rat trapped inside of a maze. But maybe I’m overthinking this. Maybe the uneasy stillness and creeping fog are driving my paranoia and things aren’t as abnormal as they seem.
Despite everything that’s happened today, the forest does provide some level of comfort and equanimity. The woodland animals remind me I’m not truly alone out here, however as I think more about it, their sounds seem to be quieter now than before. Although my experience as a park ranger in Aurora Hills over the past few years has dampened this feeling, nature still calms me and the autumn atmosphere only adds to the beauty. But I fear that the beautiful scenery belies a far darker secret in these mountains…
Aurora Hills: Chapter 2 coming soon!