Joe Baumann

**Joe Baumann**, also known as the **"Candy Store Killer,"** is a minor character mentioned in three notes in Chapter II. Joe is a notorious serial killer that plagued the states of Connecticut and Rhode Island. Sterling locals discovered corpses in a drainage ditch nearby the Candy Tunnels and believed Joe was the culprit, giving him the nickname, "Candy Store Killer".

## Biography

We never see or hear Joe at all in the series, so we're not going to include the "Appearance" or "Personality" tab and jump right into when he's relevant.

### 1986

Somewhere out there in Rhode Island and Connecticut, in 1986, Joe has been killing people for unknown reasons. He gains notoriety since he has yet to been caught and has killed eight victims. For some reason, he gets the nickname, "Candy Store Killer" around this time. We could assume that he kills people or children who visit candy stores or related to candy at least but it's unclear.

### May to July of 1987

In Sterling, Connecticut, there's sewer tunnels that are frequently inhabited by gang members, drug addicts, prostitutes, and the homeless. For some reason, the sewers get the nickname, "Candy Tunnels", probably something to do with drug paraphernalia. The tunnels get a bad reputation by Sterling locals but there's nothing they can do about it since the sewers will always be occupied by somebody. However, we cut to a cult that operates solely in Connecticut, called the Eternal Order of the Second Death. One of the two cult leaders, Miriam, uses the sewers to her advantage and summons a demon sometime in May. The demon, called the Peekaboo Demon in the game files, sacrificially kills the people that live there so that it can (somehow) aid the summoning of a deity that the cult worship, nicknamed the UNSPEAKABLE. Miriam and selected thralls and cultists attend the sacrificial ceremonies and dumps the bodies nearby a drainage ditch. By July, five people have been killed and their bodies are discovered by Sterling locals. The locals try to contact the Sterling Police Department about the recent discoveries since they believe the notorious serial killer, Joe Baumann, is behind the murders and might eventually target everyday people. Unfortunately, the police are too biased towards the demographics that live in the sewers to do proper investigation.

### September 22nd to September 27th, 1987

(The reason why this event happens between these two dates will be elaborated soon)

A couple of months past and now it's September. The Sterling Police Department continue to refuse investigating the sewers. However, one day, between these two dates, a travelling couple was found dead, and their bodies were nearby a drainage ditch. The police finally cave in to investigate the sewers since the couple were not affiliated with the Candy Tunnels and were just everyday people. So, the police raid the sewers since they believe Joe is hiding somewhere in there and plan to kill him. A couple of locals stand nearby when police officers raid the area. About ten minutes after they go inside, they hear shots firing.

The next day, a newspaper article was released that details how multiple officers were wounded and one of them was killed during a shootout. The authorities did not comment whether Joe was injured or killed during the shootout nor how many officers were injured but are attempting to recover from the casualties.

An unnamed police officer who was participating in the raid jots down on a piece of paper on what he witnessed in the sewers. He remarks how there was no Candy Store Killer and what the department are dealing with isn't human. When he briefly got separated from other officers, he saw a "thing" dragging down the remains of another officer called Jenkins into its lair. At that point, he "understood", saying that all the child-runaway prostitutes and people with GRID (An outdated and discriminatory term for AIDS) can return to the tunnels for all he cares so that they can satiate the beast's thirst to kill. He connects the beast's killing to a legend his grandmother talked about where villagers sacrificed their own once a year to the Devil so that it won't destroy everyone.

With this personal experience in mind, it's unclear who Joe Baumann truly is, and the thing that killed the officers was the Peekaboo Demon. We, at the very least, know he's a real person since eight victims are connected to him. If all the victims were solely in Connecticut, then the police might've mistaken Joe as being the killer since the cult tend to ritualistically kill people and cover their tracks. As of this date, the Police Department have no idea that a cult exists. Since Joe killed in Rhode Island, a state that the cult (seemingly) doesn't operate in, then it means that he's real. Joe was notorious enough to be a concern to Sterling locals, but we never hear about where he is after 1986.

### September 28th, 1987

A week after John's second failed exorcism with Amy, he experiences his worst nightmare yet where he explores recent events surrounding Gallup Cemetery and Snake Meadow Hill Church. These recent events seem to happen between the 22nd and the 27th, where three young people are found decapitated nearby the cemetery and three paranormal investigators are missing after exploring the church, so the traveling couple's deaths and the sewage shootout must've occurred between the two dates as well. After turning back to normal when he melted into a Wretch, he explores the Candy Tunnels, where he can pick up notes that relate to Joe. Otherwise, the Candy Store Killer is never brought up again.