Video log recovered 12th, June 2010

The following is a full transcript of the video "episode_12.avi". The video is shot using a handheld mini-DVD camcorder of Taiwanese/ Chinese make, format standard three-inch mini DVD-R. Obtained courtesy Mr. A. Original intention seems to be personal use/ limited distribution. Portions of video seem to be shot using nightvision. Total length of video is listed as twenty-four minutes though there are frequent cuts and scenes of total darkness.

All names are edited to protect privacy.

Participants are Ah., Al., Ba. and Cy. students from the location of the shooting [No. 32 High School]. Cy., the only female in the group, handles the camera though camera is passed to Ah.. Ah. and Al. are carrying seventy-five-watt LED floodlamps while Ba. carries several breaklights. Cy. wears a LED headlamp in addition to camera light.

Location of video is indoor emergency platform stairway of No. 32 High School, third floor. Entrance is located in auditorium, third floor exit is located outside, ground floor.

(Video starts, the auditorium is fully-lighted. Camera snaps to entrance door to the emergency stairway, marked "fire exit")

Cy.: We really going to do this?

Ah.: Come on. Too late to chicken out now. Your guy's here anyway.

(Camera pans to Ba.. Ba. waves to camera)

Ba.: First one to ground floor gets double fries. (Ba. snaps a breaklight) Lets do this.

Al.: What's in there anyway?

Ah.: Ah, newbie. Nothing. You just need to do this, OK? You're point.

Al.: C'mon guys, that's unfair.

Ah.: You've got the biggest flashlight.

Ba.: Actually, we don't know what's in there. Remember to edit out this BS before we get this to the others. (Ba. turns to camera, addresses to audience) Welcome to the twelfth episode of 'Ghosts of 32 High School' brought to you courtesy of the Camera Club, G-hunting division. We have our standard team here (Camera pans to the rest of the team, everybody waves) and guest star Cy.(Camera flips to show Cy.'s face. She waves) as cameraman.

Cy.: -woman.

Ba.: In this episode we will be investigating the infamous stairwell. (Camera snaps to entrance to emergency stairway) Everybody knows the rumors, so lets cut right to the action. Remember guys, piracy is a crime. You should get only the originals.

(Video cuts to the team as they prepare to enter the stairwell)

Ah.: Flashlights on. Nightvision on.

(Sounds of floodlamps clicking. Cy. switches on headlamp and NV)

(The door budges and opens a quarter of the way. There is a sound of air rushing and the camera focuses on the darkness inside. Stairway is not lighted at all) [notes : There are lightbulbs and switches and cabling, but light won't switch on]

Ba.: It's stuck.

Ah.: Friggin' door.

Ba.: Something's behind it. It hit something.

Ah.: Woohoo, it's happening already folks. Jot this down, newbie.

Ba.: C'mon. Lets get in, one by one.

(The team gets in, Ba. first. Last to go is Cy.. The door closes)

Ah.: You hear that?

Ba.: I swear I hit something. Like a leg or whatnot.

Ah.: Shh. You hear it Cy.?

(Pause)

Cy.: No. What am I supposed to be hearing?

Ah.: A sort of knocking, scratching.

Ba.: I swear-

Ah.: Shut the fuck up! (Ba. turns to Ah., shocked) It's a rapping kind of sound.

Ba.: Yeah, I hear it. So what, must be mice or something. Let's go down. Not even the first landing and somebody chickens out.

(Ba. shines floodlamp downwards. Light illuminates approx. 14 stairs)

Ba.: Lets go then

(Clanging of metal as team descends stairwell. Camera is pointed downwards)

Ah.: For the folks who've been underground, this stairway here (Pause) was built several months ago. Seems the admins crapped it out real bad. I mean, no lights. Just lightbulbs. (Camera is passed to Ah., who turn it upwards) And they won't switch on. It's pitch-black in here.

(Team passes a window)

Ah.: Nice touch there. You can see S. Road from here.

Ba.: Yeah. (Ba. shines the floodlamp outside, illuminating a car on the street)

(Continued clanging, jerky camera focuses on Al.)

Ah.: This stairway used to be the prop cupboard. Yeah, stereotype right? I mean, ghost of the mannequin torso and stuff. (Laughs) Anyway, there's supposed to be-

(Al. stops, shines floodlamp downwards)

Al.: Fuck. I saw something.

Ah.: And newbie freaks out.

Al.: Really. There was a light down there. Just a blip.

Al.: OK. I'm getting out of point position.

Ah.: Newbie, stay there.

(Al. resumes walking descending downwards, reluctantly this time)

Ah.: Supposed to be blood coming out of the walls and stuff.

Ba.: And the flying shoe.

Ah.: Hear that Al.? If you see any flying footwear-

(Laughter)

Al.: God, can't see anything in here.

Ah.: You're doing it wrong newbie. You're supposed to switch on the flashlight.

Al.: Ba.'s got the flashlight.

Ba.: Yeah.

(Pause, team stops)

Ba.: Cy., you got my breaklights?

Cy.: No. You were holding them, remember?

Ba.: You got 'em Al.?

Al.: No. How did you get my flashlight anyway? I was holding it just before we went inside.

Ba.: I was holding it. You must've left my breaklights upstairs.

Al.: No, I-

Ah.: OK. So fuck-up. Normal. Let's continue people.

Ba.: Editing this's gonna suck.

(Further descending down steps)

Ah.: Anyway, the other supposed haunting is a guy dubbed 'The Hangman' cause he's supposed to float around with a noose around his neck. Supposed to be the ghost of a worker who killed himself here.

Al.: I also heard something about the lightbulb.

Ah.: Good call newbie. The 32nd lightbulb is supposed to be the only lit lightbulb.

Ba.: Standard stuff. But the main legend is-

(Sound of clanging in the distance)

Cy.: What was that?

(Video cuts to 5 minutes later)

(Nightvision is off, camera pointed to Al. and Cy.. No clanging sounds) [notes : Why? Conserve battery?]

Al.: Guys I saw something.

Cy.: I-I think I saw something too.

(Cy. points to a spot vaguely downwards. Camera follows)

(There is a glint in the distance)

Ah.: OK. Ba., can you flashlight this?

(A beam of light extends as far as several steps downwards)

Ah.: Not there. A bit further up.

Ba.: I'm pointing it straight.

Ah.: Why can't I see anything then? Cy., you see something?

(Camera lights blip out)

Ah.: Fucking cheap-ass.

(Camera catches a glint in the distance)

Ba.: Batteries nearly dead. Better save it.

(Video cuts 4 minutes ahead)

Ba.: Can't see a thing.

Ba.: Al., let me borrow yours.

Al.: Mine is that one.

Ba.: Ah., you got the other light?

Ah.: Nah. I gave it to newbie there. Switch it on.

Al.: You didn't. Mine got borrowed by Ba..

Ah.: Cy.?

Cy.: Not on me. I thought you handed it to Ba..

Ah.: There were two lights right? Own up newbie. You dropped them somewhere.

Al.: No I didn't. You must've forgot them upstairs or something.

Ah.: Noob. You pay replacement.

Al.: Guys, come on. I didn't even touch a flashlight.

Ba.: Lets just go on downwards.

(Video cuts to 4 minutes ahead)

(Clanging noises continue)

Al.: Light ahead.

Cy.: Yep. I see it.

(Camera snaps to light source. A dim blip of white is seen in the distance)

Ba.: Lightbulb. The 32nd you think?

Ah.: So viewers, one myth confirmed. There is, in fact, a lighted lightbulb down here.

Al.: It's on a landing, I think.

Ba.: Must be the way out. Typical, they only decorate the way in and out.

Ah.: And that's the end of our journey folks. Fourth landing.

(Camera snaps to a steel double-door fire exit)

Ah.: Some fuck-ups and a light down here. No ghosts.

Ba.: That's all folks!

(Camera beeps and the words 'Battery Low' in English and Chinese characters appear)

Al.: Just in time, huh?

Cy.: Yeah, my lights ran out too.

(Ba. and Al. open the doors)

Ba.: What. The. Fuck.

Al.: Shit. Shit.

(Camera jerkily runs up to Ba.)

Cy.: What's wrong?

Al.: It's a fucking room. Just brick walls and shit.

(Camera pans towards the door. Behind the double door is a small, bare room. No exit is visible)

Cy.: Guys? The stairs still go down.

Ah.: Fuck the admins. Were they trying to kill us or something?

(Scratching noises are heard. The camera jerks wildly left and right, trying to find the source of the sound)

Cy.: I'm scared. Shit no, I'm terrified.

Ba.: Don't worry Cy., the real exit's probably just one landing down.

(The lightbulb blips off. The whole landing is plunged into darkness, there is no source of light)

(Indistinct screaming)

Ba.: Fuck!

Cy.: Ohgodohgodohgod

Ah.: Shh. Let's just go back up.

Al.: OK.

(Sobs are heard)

Ba.: Cy., don't cry.

Cy.: That wasn't me.

Al.: I'm not waiting to find out.

(Al. presumably dashes up, clanging of feet is heard)

Ah.: Al.! Al.! Fuck you!

(Al. screams)

(Camera jerks upwards, Al. is seen dashing downwards past the camera)

Al.: Fuck! It was behind us! Fuckfuckfuck

(Camera jerks and follows Al.. Ba. and Cy. are running down the stairs, heavy breathing is heard)

(A cacophony of clanging is heard as the team continue to descend)

(Sobs are heard, presumably behind the camera)

(Video cuts to two minutes later)

(Heavy breathing, team appears to be on a landing. Total darkness)

Ba.: Al., what was that?

Al.: Fuck don't know. Fuck.

Ah.: Something.

Cy.: Oh god. I saw its face.

Ah.: Like what?

Cy.: A mask I think. One of those creepy mannequin plastic thingies with no mouth and no nose.

Cy.: Oh god. It had four eyes.

Ba.: Shit. Not now.

Cy.: The sockets were glowing. But there were these two round things under it.

Al.: I saw the black ones. The face was glowing.

Ah.: Cy., you take the camera. You're point.

(Camera is passed to Cy.)

(Sobs are heard coming from upstairs)

Ba.: Fuck it caught up!

(Camera jerks back, team runs down steps)

(There are several brief views of a white round object approx. 30 cm in diameter. Object resembles a face/ mask devoid of facial features except suggestions of a nose and four eyes, two pitch black w/o noticeable whites, while other two exude a faint but noticeable white glow) [notes : tapetum?]

(Hysterical screaming and expletives are heard)

(Brief segues to the object establishes that object is moving along the ceiling. The 'face' part of the object undulates left and right, object seems to be source of unexplained clanging and scratching)

(After approx. two additional landings Cy. trips and presumably falls unconscious. The camera hits the stairs, facedown) [notes: How far does this stairwell go?]

(Loud scratching is heard, resembling nails on concrete. High-pitched sounds.)

(Sobs die down)

(Battery dies. Recording stops)

[notes: Postscript. Whatever was chasing those people is still in there. The mini-DVD was found in the auditorium in bad shape, along with two seventy-five-watt floodlamps and sticks of breaklights.

Also found was a bloodied headlamp. None of the people made it out, all are missing presumed dead. Parents have not been notified]