The Hunt for Ibrahim Al-Sudat

from the point of view of Dr Eliza Jamieson

Since 7th January 2005

There appears to have been a major cover up of the incidents that occurred on Gallows Hill. It appears the story that was released is blaming extremists claiming it to be some form of a terrorist attack. Our erstwhile compatriot Mina Patel who still appears to be a missing person (last I saw of her she was in the car with the two soldiers) was initially listed as assisting the terrorists. She is later redefined as an innocent due to the evidence provided by James Elliot (My god he is useful for something then) in his newspaper report of the incident. The last terrorist who escaped that night a certain Al Sadat was found dead a month later in Manchester. However, there appears to be no reference at all regarding the missing altar or of James Connolly who was with me and Mina in the car that fateful night.

 

In the more fringe press there are more worrying reports linking the incidents to occult involvement obviously the government does not see the lunatic fringe as a threat. It appears that Adam Walters and myself were seen as a more viable threat but we were instead seconded to a government department that was said to deal with incidents such as this. The department calls itself MI13 the main purpose of this department appears to be two fold initially we have a duty to investigate these strange occurrences but in doing so we also have to do our best to cover them up so as not to concern the general public. A cute guy surprisingly trains us in the use of firearms the guys name is Lieutenant James Doolittle I suspect that he could be SAS (wonder if he’s married, no ring so there’s a chance). We are also told that we would have access to certain books and tomes, which should give us more information regarding what, happened up on Gallows Hill. Looking at some of the spines however I was unable recognise any of the titles and many appeared to be in very obscure languages. Also we were informed that we would have access to the restricted section of the British Library (didn’t know there was one).

 

We are then briefed that an MI13 operative by the name of Doctor Heather Malcombs has been assigned to ascertain the exact incidents that occurred on Gallows Hill. Local press in the area has noted several disappearances in the area around Gallows Hill there was a report in the fringe press about a giant bat like creature (we were informed that the creature we saw was called a Byakee I have looked up the name but as far as I can see no creature exists with that name) seen flying in the direction of Grapen Seat. There have been four reports of mutilated sheep upon the obvious flight plan and slightly more worrying one of the reports of missing hiker is also on the same route. It appears that the area of the Hill itself was not on the leylines and the ritual taking place during the dark of the moon. We were later to ascertain that there was a strange configuration of the stars and planets at the time of the incident. Well suffice to say if I ever have to go back to Gallows Hill then it will have been too soon.

 

Side note creatures we saw on Gallows Hill are assigned names and MI13 inform us what information they presently have on them.

 

Ghouls – Degenerate humanoids that breed true however human genome can be altered to create more. Troglodyte tendencies tend to shun bright lights and tend to be nocturnal. Do not have any viable method of communication as no languages have been observed. Creature has hands with opposable thumbs but no tool or weapon usage no known immunities main weapons appear to be claws and teeth.

 

Byakhee (Star Angel) – Servitor creature as to Hastur the god in yellow, hybrid winged creature 7’-8’ tall bipedal large wingspan very strong noted to have at least human level of intelligence used as mounts by Hastur’s cultists. Don’t live on Earth can fly through space however wings useless in this endeavour can travel from their home world almost. Can instantaneously react to summons by a strange whistle similar to the one we saw in the possession of Mina Patel. Creature known to show loyalty to whoever is in possession of the summoning whistle. Appears to be hurt as normal by all weapons however is noted to have some armour.

 

Saturday 20th February 2005

Well my luck is constant bad but constant Walters and myself are ordered to report to MI13 were we are informed that Dr Malcombs has requested our presence in Richmond so we are put on a train and we are on our way back to a place I didn’t wish to see again in my lifetime.

 

Strangely enough when I talk to Walters on the way down to Richmond I ascertain that something else is afoot. It appears that we had both had a strikingly similar dream on the night of the 8th February about being chased through woodland by an as of yet undefined creature I wonder worriedly if this is a forewarning of things to come.

 

Saturday 21st February 2005

As we arrive in Richmond we are surprised to note that Doctor Malcombs has been in contact with James Elliot who has informed her that James Connolly has been in contact with him and wishes to meet him in St Anne's Square, Manchester at 11am the next day. It is decided that both Adam Walters and myself also be in attendance however we would need to find a way to conceal ourselves so that we could see what is occurring while not spooking him. We are to travel in Malcombs' beat up mini. Strangely we note that on our way across that we appear to be being followed by two figures in a car. We are informed that they are Liliane Cook and Aries Linklater who Malcombs informs us have been showing inordinate interest in the incidents on Gallows Hill. As far as we can ascertain Cook appears to be a journalist or so she claims she appears to spend most of her time working for the fringe press. Linklater however is more of a threat his occupation is listed officially as a bookseller (works in his shop Earth Mysteries in Alderley Edge) but is known to be a member of the Animal Liberation Front and is suspected to implicated in several recent bombings. We decide that it would probably be for the best if we could lose our tail so it is decided that we would stop off at Preston were both Walters and myself would catch the train to Manchester and meet Malcombs at St Anne's Square. We note that Cook appears to follow us to the train while Linklater continues in his pursuit of Malcombs. We are later to find that she lost Linklater due to him being involved in Road Collision (can’t call them accidents any more). I noted here that Cook appears to be both surprisingly short but also to limp slightly. Once again we have to lose her, this is actually easy than we had first thought as she made a notable error.

 

It was decided that I would get off at Deansgate and Adam Walters would continue on to Piccadilly. I assumed that she would stick with Adam however she instead chose to try and follow me. It was incredibly easy thus to lose my tail as not wanting to blow my own trumpet too much here not only was I much taller and younger then Cook I am also quite a useful athlete from my time at Cambridge. We all meet up at St Anne's Square and position ourselves so we observe the meeting between Elliot and Connolly. However as 11am comes and goes there is no sign of Connolly finally a young child brings a not to Elliot saying that they will instead meet in Piccadilly Plaza so we swiftly have to reposition ourselves. We have been there for about a quarter hour when Connolly arrives he walks past me but does not recognise me as I have hidden my noticeable blonde hair with a head scarf he then goes to join Elliot on the bench.

 

Connolly informs Elliot that the terrorists were planning to use the creature that came from the Altar and killed and those brave soldiers, intending to release it into Manchester. I thought strongly about phoning MI13 to inform them of this but decided that it may be prudent to wait. Connolly also informed us that one of the so called terrorists a man by the name of Maqmood was in actual fact working with the American intelligence community to infiltrate the group and it was he who had killed Al Sadat. Connolly then left leaving Elliot with the address of a man he stated would assist us in finding the altar and a heavy looking carrier bag. He then walked off swiftly disappearing into a back street we followed but by the time we had come round the corner Connolly had vanished. Elliot found a footprint of a huge bird in a frozen puddle but other than that there was no other sign of were he had gone. However, there was a young couple at the other end of the alley the girl was screaming incoherently however her boyfriend had appeared to have gone into shock pale, Shivering and muttering incoherently something about black wings. My assumption is that it appears that Connolly has got himself one of those whistles to summon those Byakee creatures.

 

When we checked later and emptied out the bag that Connolly had left with Elliot we found the items we had acquired in the auction of Geoffrey Baxter’s items namely his strange liquid filled homemade binoculars in a leather case (I understand that these things allow you to see into the past via manipulation of a third focus ring however they require a drop of blood to work) A strange mask that appears to have been made from the orbit bones of a human skull with a leather thong (This appears to allow us to see the dead) tied up with this was a number ten which we were later to connect to the address of a Moss Side end terrace. The metal whistle from the age of the ancients with a single hole this item I had last see in the possession of Mina Patel we understood this item could be used to summon the Byakee. And a leather bound hymnbook with some alterations included in the book was a slip of paper with hymn 51 written on it

 

We were later to find a small slip of paper in the case of the binoculars with a collection of numbers and letters on it (Vol V5 PP1411243 1Cor13: 12) which we were later to ascertain applied to verse in Corinthians (Classical education good for something then) – ‘For now we see through a glass darkly and then face to face but then I shall know even as I am known.’ Odd passage to choose but all was to come clear, as this was obviously a reference to the use of the bone mask.

 

James Elliot excused himself after the meeting with Connolly stating that he would have to go home as he had some important things to do (probably just an excuse to go off and write some more bile)

 

Monday 22nd February 2005

After much fruitless searching for the man who should have been able to help us or even the altar itself we finally decided it would be prudent to check out the address in Moss Side which as it turned out was the self same address that Al Sadat had been at before his timely demise. He had been shot while in the living room and where most of the police and forensics items had been carefully removed there still remained the chalk outline where Al Sadat’s body had obviously lain. It was decided that we should attempt to use the mask to see if we could find Al Sadat’s spirit and question him direct. I was chosen for this role as it was decided that I had the most ordered mind.

 

As I placed the mask over my eyes I was to discover that while Al Sadat’s spirit did not appear to be in the room there were more than enough to surprise me. The spirits are of men, women and children and they all seemed to have stories on how they had been killed it appeared to me that most had had their throats cut. Two notable figures are clearer than the others a woman in a red dress who appeared to be talking to herself. The other was a small child who looked directly at me she seemed to want revenge on he who did this to her. Other stories I could now here were I went for a walk, I was out on a drive or we were making out the stories all seeming to end the same way captured made to walk to a thing in the woods and then they were sacrificed. Stories all seemed to resolve around the beacon in woods south of Alderley Edge. I then quickly had to take my leave as the spirits started to become insistent in their calls for revenge beginning crowding around me and I could feel them on my skin. (Strangely enough I still have the mask in my possession it almost fells like it would be useful again in the future).

 

It was decided to check out this lead and where to find even more worrying things had been afoot. A young couple had recently disappeared John and Amanda they had planned to be married and had most of the preparations in place. However, their car had been found in a lay-by about a kilometre out of town just south of the beacon but of them there was no sign. Strange blue lights had been observed by several people over the beacon and a man who had been out walking his three German Sheppard’s had reported them acting scared and whimpering like puppies. Whatever was occurring had not been halted by the death of Al Sadat I suspect that there is something out there. People have stopped walking their dogs in the area surrounding the beacon. It should also be noted that there had been four disappearances in the area and that the tourism had virtually dropped to zero in the last month or so. During our research of the area we decide to check out Linklater’s bookshop as that appeared to be the only occult bookshop in the vicinity. I was once again chosen for this duty, as I was the one he had seen the least of. Unfortunately it appeared that after she lost me in Manchester, Lilian Cook had been hanging around the bookshop. She recognised me and between them they managed to wangle themselves into our little group. The bookshop search itself was however ineffective as no reference could be found as to either the disappearances or the mysterious blue lights. Between us I feel we are fairly sure that the altar is somewhere out in the woods near Alderley Edge.

 

Monday 23rd February 2005

Setting out a search pattern we head off into the woods the next morning. We move carefully and within sight of our neighbours, as the ground is notoriously full of sinkholes and hidden dips. I am the one to find the altar sunk into a deep hole. However there appears to be some form of mutated tree standing guard over it for as I look into the hole the tree attempts to attack me swinging one of its branches in the direction of my head fortunately missing by mere inches. I mark the hole with my scarf and after informing my comrades of my discovery quickly retreat to the edge of the wood. (Odd how this feels so much like my dream on the 8th.) I quickly Phone MI13 informing them what I had found and they instruct me to attempt to stop anyone entering the area and he asks me if there is anywhere nearby where a helicopter can land there is a car park nearby so we suggest that. (How am I supposed to stop people?). A helicopter arrives within the hour (MI13 must have known and had these guys on standby) and several army men get out quickly begin setting up a cordon I have to instruct the Lieutenant (same cute guy still no wedding ring) what I saw and where it was. However as I am briefing the Lieutenant a Landrover drives through the cordon and parks near the woods I notice that James Elliot appears to be the driver. He quickly gets out of his vehicle and before we can stop him he disappears into the wood. After the briefing, the soldiers head into the wood, worryingly armed with rocket launchers and flamethrowers. An hour later all is over and done with the altar is recovered and is returned to MI13 where it is decided that the altar should be smashed so that this could never occur again. The soldiers head back to their base (at least I got the cute Lieutenant's number). And we head back to London to be debriefed. We do not see Elliot again but are informed that the soldiers found him running away from something he described as a dead tree with waving arms. (Maybe he was committed to an asylum, one thing was for sure he isn’t writing for the papers anymore.) The department also ensured that neither Linklater or Cook would tell of what occurred here. I do not know how they were able to obtain this but no story manifested.