We're Always on the Air at 104.6 FM

*We're Always on the Air at 104.6 FM* is the second major arc in the Pinehaven series, written by Kel Byron. It was uploaded in 2018 in the /nosleep Reddit forum under the username 'Wendingus'.

## Summary

Several months after the events of "Accounts from a Lonely Broadcast Station", Evelyn and Daniel remain at the 104.6 FM emergency broadcast station, only now they've recruited Operator #30, an ex-cop and wildlife expert named Finn. After discovering some eerie cassette tapes behind a wall that catalogue the experiences of one of the former Operators, the trio begin learning more about the history (and dangers) of their workplace. Things take several harsh turns when Evelyn attracts the attention of a stalker from her past and a short trip into the nearest city proves nearly fatal for her and Daniel. In the end, they realize that the stakes are getting higher every day, and the importance of teamwork has never been more apparent.

## Timeline of Events

* In the opening chapter, Evelyn reveals that Daniel and Finn are now both part of the 104.6FM staff. Finn brings a kit full of security cameras and says that he's going to put them up around the borders of the tower. While he and Evelyn are putting up the cameras at the treeline, Finn tells her about a bunch of missing children from the area and a being known as the "Root-Faced Man" who has been seen luring them into the woods.
* Evelyn and Dan find a tiny door behind the utility closet, and inside they spot a box of cassette tapes. They are each numbered, but the second-to-last is missing. They listen to the first, and find that it's from Eric, the 7th Operator of the Broadcast Station. He describes the death of the 6th Operator and an attack from The Amalgamate. Dan and Evelyn both recognize the description as the same giant that is still prowling the area. At the end of the recording, he describes a little bird that has been stalking him and driving him insane.
* One night when Evelyn is at the tower alone, she sees a hooded figure poking around outside the tower. At the same time, she hears Jennifer's voice in the pipes again, and dirty water starts to bubble up from the sink. When she sees that the hooded figure from outside has climbed up to the fire escape and is staring at her through the window, she calls Finn and asks him to come check things out.
* When Finn arrives, Evelyn explains that she recognized the stalker - it's Elijah, Jennifer's boyfriend, who she has a rough history with. She tells Finn that Daniel invited her to his cousin's wedding soon, and she wondered if he'd take over while they take a quick road trip. He agrees.
* The next morning, Elijah comes back to the station right before a Fog Day. He's arguing with Finn in the driveway. When Daniel arrives and tries to break it up, Elijah punches him in the face and Finn tackles him to the ground. Evelyn goes down to investigate and tries to talk sense into Elijah, who explains that he's angry with how Jen's investigation has been closed and was just trying to scare them in retaliation.
* While everyone is fighting, they notice a stillness, and they realize the fog is already on its way. Elijah hears Jennifer's voice in the fog and tries to go to her. Dan is the first to try to rescue him, much to Evelyn's dismay, which stalls all three of them on their way back up to the tower. Jennifer's corpse begins to shamble out of the fog toward them, and they notice she's begun to grow new parts as an amalgamate of her own.
* Once they finally drag Elijah inside the building, they drive the fog away, just in time to see The Amalgamate grab Jennifer's corpse from the fire escape and devour her into its own enormous body. The fog disperses and Finn drives a traumatized Elijah home.
* (from Dan's perspective) A while later, Daniel and Evelyn leave to go to his cousin's wedding. After sleeping for the night, they go to a diner in town and are stopped by a group of Pinehaven villagers who recognize them from the radio. One of them offers a cryptic warning, telling them that they'll never get this problem under control, and one day they'll die just like all the other Operators.
* The two have a surprisingly good time at the wedding, dancing and seeing Dan's relatives. When they leave and come back to Pinehaven, Evelyn says she doesn't want to go back to the tower yet and tells Daniel to take her to "her place". Her place, he finds out, is her last address: the slide under the Elementary School playground.
* While they're talking on the swings, they notice a small child running into the woods, being lured by something unseen. They chase after him, and find the little boy crying and confused. As they're carrying him back, they're stalked by the Root-Faced Man, who attacks them both. Daniel is kicked so hard he suffers a back injury, and is forced to watch as Evelyn has her eye gouged out with one of the creature's wooden fingers. The Root-Faced Man then absorbs her eye and wears it for himself.
* Daniel is kicked in the head and goes unconscious, but wakes up briefly long enough to see that Finn has found them and is dragging them back to the tower. Several days later, he wakes up in the hospital after a short coma with Evelyn sitting next to him. He asks her if she wants to sleep on his bed - a callback to the day Dan lost his hearing in Season 1 - and she agrees.
* (from Evelyn's perspective) When Evelyn and Dan go back to the station, they find out that the child they rescued was brought home safely to his parents. They listen to another one of Number 7's cassettes, which gives them some history about the station and how they used to ring an actual brass bell. It's then that Evelyn complains about the taste of the coffee and Finn checks the faucet, realizing that their water has turned to blood.
* Elijah returns to the station, pacing with his hands in his pockets. He's babbling about the night Jennifer was eaten by the Amalgamate and how he can't stop thinking about the forest and the station. When they try to talk him down, Elijah pulls a gun and points it at Evelyn and Daniel.
* Before he can shoot Evelyn, Finn activates the security system and an alarm startles Elijah into dropping the gun. Dan kicks it across the room so that Finn can confiscate it. But as Finn is about to take Elijah in via citizen's arrest, Daniel stops him and decides to sit with Elijah on the fire escape instead. They have a heart-to-heart, and Daniel ends up convincing Elijah to leave Pinehaven for good. He does, and Evelyn remarks that they will probably never see Elijah again.
* They listen to another cassette, the final one. This one is a different voice. Number 8 reports that 7 has died, only his head being left, but both eyes were missing. She says there's a weird-looking bird trying to get into the station, and its eyes look like Number 7's.
* Evelyn and Dan take the gun that Elijah left behind and decide to try hunting down the Root-Faced Man who took Evelyn's eye.
* The Root-Faced Man finds them first, and Daniel shoots at him but misses. The sound attracts the attention of something huge and loud, which bellows from up the mountain. They try to run, but the Root-Faced Man chases them and corners them, revealing that it now has a collection of child-sized hands growing out of its ribcage and stomach from its collected victims.
* Before the creature can attack, The Amalgamate comes charging toward them and grabs the Root-Faced Man first. It devours it and thus, collects Evelyn's eye and the children's hands for itself. Daniel manages to shoot the Amalgamate, blinding Evelyn's eye and distracting it long enough to escape. However, as the beast flails, its weight loosens the dirt around an old mine shaft and Dan and Evelyn both plummet down into it.
* They walk through the mines, finding the remains of animals, firemen, and Forest Rangers who had been lost in the mines years ago. Some of them are still moving, absorbed by the living root systems. They get to the other side and are able to walk back to the tower, mostly unharmed.
* The story ends with Dan and Evelyn sitting on the fire escape together while Bartholomew builds another nest. In the nest, they see the missing cassette tape from Number 7 that they couldn't find earlier. They agree that not all the anomalies are bad.