Chapter 1: Prologue

Beer cans adorned what appeared to be the dirty floors of an apartment. The once red carpet was now black, as the owner did not bother to clean anything at all.

A man is lying in a large bed... his sleep is deep, the blankets and his clothes cover him, though he is too drunk to notice. He is a guy who hardly showers, since he doesn't like the idea very much, besides, his hygiene is terrible... his teeth are yellow, he doesn't shave... besides, he is a drunk who likes to watch porn and masturbate every now and then to feel something in his miserable life.

When he woke up, he saw his surroundings, a nauseating room whose windows hardly let any sunlight in.

He checked his cell phone and realized that a video of an orgy was playing on KinkyNasty.com, plus he had a few more windows where they included the purchase of alcohol, xanax and injectable drugs.

He rubbed his eyes and turned down the brightness of the screen, he took the Horizontal Mode off his cell phone and was able to see his notifications from a chat group he had with some colleagues in search of mysteries and strange cases, a bunch of people investigating abandoned places, conspiracies and a lot of stupid shit because they had nothing else to do, and just like him, if they weren't drunk on the floor of their bathrooms, they were snorting three kilometers of cocaine.

Jason Slater was a complete disaster.

## **Jason Slater**

   **Age: 31**

**Profession: Editor and Photographer of Porn Movies**

He checked a message, it was from his dear friend Ashley, who was a photographer and also a classmate of his that he knew from college.

"Ashley: 2:48 pm.

Jason! I've been trying to reach you. Get in touch with me as soon as you can."

—It's four o'clock two... I don't think she'll bother.

He smiled at his own joke.

Jason opted to call her, and just she answered.

—Ash! I just saw your message. I just woke up. What happened, girl?

—Jason Slater! You slept in again, didn't you? —Ashley scolded.

—Just a little. What's the matter? What's the rush? You know it's Sunday and I'm not working.

—I wanted to call you precisely because it's Sunday and no one is working, and besides, as soon as I got this news I thought about you. Do you know a place called Vallimorth? It's here in Nevada.

—Vallimorth? I've never heard of a place with such a fucked up name in my life. But what's it about or what is it?

—Well, it has a lot to do with the disappearance of some researchers. Do you remember Kelly Burton, Michael Cooper and Mackenzie Poarch?

—Oh, yes, yes, yes, the names of the bodies that were found in barrels of acid. I remember they were found in a trucking company? Why? —Jason sat down on the edge of his bed and put on his slippers to start walking to the kitchen, open the refrigerator and take out a bottle of beer.

—Something very strange has happened. Apparently someone managed to find the last location of Michael's cell phone, it indicated a point in the middle of the mountains. I'll pass you a map... I'm sending it to you.

Jason put his cell phone away and looked at the screen, he had received some coordinates that marked a point in the middle of an area full of mountains and green landscapes.

—Hey, Ashley, I don't see shit here.

—That's just what I was going to tell you.... The person who found the coordinates of Michael's cell phone says they are such specific coordinates that it is not possible to zoom in further to get a better perspective. The people who have cooperated indicate that these coordinates belong to Vallimorth, a place with just over 40,000 people. It is one of those outdated cities in the United States...there is very little information about the city. There is mention of a mayor... Charlotte Hall, although if you look for places to go for fun... attractions... you won't find much.

—So, you're telling me that the deaths of the three investigators involved a ghost town about which there is very little information, correct? —Jason scratched his chin and adjusted his glasses to get a better look at the screen.

—That's right. I'm going on an "expedition" to Vallimorth tonight with my boyfriend. Would you like to come? It's going to be a long road trip.

—Going to a city that hardly anyone knows about and not telling anyone? Hell, yeah. It'll just be the three of us?

—I don't know if you'd like to invite anyone else, Jason.

—I think Rebecca would love to come.  She's a friend of mine, a good photographer too. So what time is the "expedition" today?

—We'll go late at night to avoid traffic, although, it's not like there's a lot of traffic on the way to a town far from civilization. We'll pick you up around two in the morning.

—I can't wait... And thanks for keeping me in mind, Ashley. If it's a good Investigation, rest assured I'll give it my best shot.

—I know. I know I will. In the meantime enjoy your day, we'll call you if anything happens. And thanks to you for accepting! Thank you, Jason... it means a lot to me.

—No way! -I'm just an amateur investigator. I'll go eat. See you later, Ash. Take care.

"Ashley has left".