Bytten

I wake up in the night. Everywhere is dark - there's no moon in the sky, and the power has gone out. What just happened? Was that an earthquake? Okay, don't panic. Best get out of the cottage, just to be safe, and check in with the neighbours. Except... what's up with Old Man Pendergrass? He's out on his porch, fast asleep - I can't wake him. Where is everyone? Another tremor strikes, and suddenly a pale beam of light appears to the west, out towards Bell Isle. What is going on?

Further down the road I find the crazy religious woman, Mrs Shawn. She's awake, at least - but she's not interested in company. She says the scientists over at Bell Isle have caused this, and that she's prepared for the End. She won't let me in, but she gives me the key to the local church. I should be able to find a flashlight in there, she says, so I head over there. The church is empty, though, apart from all the technical stuff - this is the church of the Navigators, who commune with God through computers. Or something. This place is downright weird at the best of times.

I head south, to the diner. There's a woman trying to start her car, without much luck. Since she's the only person both awake and sane that I've seen, I'm only too pleased when she asks to tag along. Her name is Rose. I tell her we need to find out what's happening and stop it, and I can't do it alone. She thinks there might be a radio or something at the lighthouse, so we head south, past Apollo Park.

At the Park, something emerges from Moon Pool. It's big and it's hostile - it lumbers forward to attack us. Rose and I pummel the Moonbeast with whatever we can find, but a flashlight is a poor weapon against such a creature. Quickly overpowered, we flee back north. There must be a better weapon around here somewhere. For now, we continue to the lighthouse, skirting round the pool by taking a route through the spooky woods. Normally it would be easy to get lost, but the freakish beam of light to the west is actually useful for navigation, and we find our way without further incident.

The lighthouse is deserted. At the top I find a flaregun, but no radio. I take it just in case. With no further clues, we head west through the woods, finding our way to the factory. Inside we are attacked by a factory worker in a bizarre triangular helmet. We try to reason with him, but to no avail. I return his attack with my flashlight, and then the flare gun, but my crude weapons are ineffective. Once again we are beaten back, and we flee into the night. We head north, to the ferry. If we can take it to Bell Isle, perhaps we can end this nightmare. But the ferry boat is not there.

We head towards the beach docks, and the hope of a boat. Along the way we blunder into a bird sanctuary - I didn't even know we had one of those! - and are attacked again, this time by a winged horror. I fire the flare gun, and just this once I seem to have the right weapon for the job. We win the fight! No time to celebrate, however - the light is growing stronger. We find our way to the docks and grab a rowing boat, and head for Bell Isle.

Suddenly, hands rise out of the water - dead hands, clutching at the boat, hoping to drag me down with them. I whack them with an oar, but more rise up. Begone! Yet more hands rock at the wooden vessel, and then I see faces - cold, dead faces, staring with unseeing eyes in my direction. The horror is almost overwhelming, but I swing at them again. And again! The foul and twisted carcasses fall away, and the boat sails on. But dawn has arrived...

As the sun creeps over the horizon I realise that we are too late. The evil that has been released has spread beyond our little town. And so, I'm faced with my awful fate - I must stay awake forever more, for if I fall asleep, I may join the others and never wake again. What are these creatures? What has brought them forth? I do not know. I only know that it is too late to stop them. I surrender to my weariness, my head sinking into my arms, my eyelids drooping.

Wait, what's that? I wake up. I'm in my cottage. I recall a strange dream in which something very wrong has happened, but it fades away as I step into the darkness. Was that an earthquake? I look west towards Bell Isle, where a tall pillar of light pierces the sky. It's all somehow familiar. I head south to Old Man Pendergrass's place - but he's out cold. Here we go again! Maybe this time I'll solve the mystery. But I know all too well that I don't have long until dawn...

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