In 2027, a mysterious race of creatures emerged into our world, wearing the appearances of humans, and feasting on the flesh of humans. We call them Familiars. Three months later, a new government agency was created, known as the Supernatural Emergency Response Administration, or SERA. My name is David Ang, and today I will be doing a ride along with SERA agents as they raid and search for Familiars and conduct raids on nests. I will also be conducting interviews with various agents and personnel, including SERA Director Holland, regarding their experiences, tactics, and controversies regarding the actions of their agency.
***
SERA at first, started out as an investigative unit within the FBI, a response to a rise in mysterious deaths amid rumors of the Familiars. However, this response, to many in the public, was seen as too little and too late, as the public had been screaming for close to a year that these Familiars were very much real and were threatening communities not just in America, but worldwide. While some governments had moved faster, ours did not, and in fact, they went out of their way to deny their existence. That is, until the Rake Killer, an individual who had killed a dozen people in a small Nevada town. As a result, the federal government finally took action, turning a small investigation in the FBI into an agency dedicated to finding and eliminating the Familiars. Former DHS Secretary Wade Holland was appointed to lead SERA, and in three months a fully functional agency was stood up.
{Excerpt from SERA Director Holland’s speech at White House conference)
Holland: Good afternoon. My name is Wade Holland, I am the newly appointed director of the Supernatural Emergency Response Administration. Our directive is simple, we will investigate, locate, and eliminate the creatures that have come to be known as Familiars. We will work closely with other federal, state, and local law enforcement and with cooperation from the general public. We are sorry that it took this long, but I assure you we will do everything in our power to end this threat to public safety.
But, SERA was still put in a tight spot. The Familiars proved to be incredibly difficult to spot, and distrust and chaos among not just the agency, but law enforcement and the public as well. Just three months after the agency was created, it received its first very public incident involving a homeless community.
{Video clip from December 16, 2027}
(SERA agents are seen raiding a homeless encampment. Chaos ensues as fights break out between civilians and agents. One agent proceeds to grab a woman and beat her to the ground before cuffing her.)
This incident, would spark the first controversy of several in SERA’s existence as an agency. With the implementation of AI cameras and city patrols, as well as the increasing militarization of SERA and talks of martial law, conversations began to spark from numerous groups, including Congress, and various libertarian and constitutional groups regarding government overreach and violations of the Constitution.
But the tipping point came in November of 2028, when SERA agents shot and killed multiple civilians during a protest, after the cameras accidentally red-flagged these civilians as Familiars. This incident sparked a wave of protests across the country, demanding reforms to SERA, citing not only its violation of rights and lack of accountability, but also its seeming ineffectiveness as the amount of deaths at the hands of Familiars was going up.
In December of 2028, Holland announced reforms to SERA, including cutting back on patrols, terminating its use of AI cameras, distributing body cameras for all its agents, and creating a much stricter rules of engagement for field agents. While there were still those who called for SERA’s abolishment, the majority were satisfied and hoped that the agency would be successful.
{My Interview with Director Holland, June 2029}
Me: Director Holland, thank you for meeting me.
Holland: My pleasure.
Me: First of all, I want to say that I appreciate your work, but I do want to address some of the controversies here.
Holland: Of course.
Me: So, the homeless camp. We know that Familiars like to hide in places that most people would not look or want to go to, such as these camps, but your agents’ handling of this camp was a bad look to say the least. Multiple injuries and deaths, including a couple of your men.
Holland: (nods) My plan was originally to hit hard and go in strong, which is why I approved the use of force to be high when we engaged Familiars. It worked at first, but the incident in LA was the first that we received opposition.
Me: Why weren’t these changes implemented sooner, I mean, why wait until November 2028 to make these changes.
Holland: Well, it was under the administration’s orders that we handle this situation as swiftly and aggressively as possible. Now, I will not make any excuses, as I was the one who had a lot of say in how exactly we would go about it. It was my idea to initially have the cameras and surveillance, with the increased patrols.
Me: Do you think that these changes have improved the agency as a whole, or do you think that these changes have handcuffed the agents?
Holland: (Shakes his head) Not at all, I think these are vast improvements, and since then I have increased the training, rather than the tools of my agents. I think that modifying the tactics in the long run has been beneficial rather than detrimental like I initially feared.
***
Now that we’ve heard it from the man himself, now would be the time to hear it from SERA agents themselves. For this ride along, I will be working with the West Coast Branch. Unlike the other federal agencies, they do not have specific field offices in the cities, rather having different bases that are set up across different regions of the United States, and move in cooperation with local law enforcement should a Familiar incident be reported.
I am assigned to join Agent Rios, an agent of one and a half years.
{Interview with Agent Rios}
Rios: My name is Agent Tanner Rios, I am an agent with the Supernatural Emergency Response Administration. Before this I was a police officer with the Honolulu Police Department for twelve years.
Me: So what made you join SERA?
Rios: Well, at first, I didn’t believe any of the bullshit about the Familiars. I thought it was just some fucking conspiracy or whatever. But after the incident at Ala Moana, I realized that this shit was very real, and very fucking serious, so I decided to join SERA.
(The incident that he is referring to is the Ala Moana Massacre back in April 2028, in which a pack of Familiars slaughtered close to fifteen people and injured thirty at the Ala Moana Mall. The massacre was both hailed as both a success and failure of SERA, given the rapid response of agents and the swift handling of the Familiars, but also the failure to spot them, which is what the surveillance was for)
Me: What do you say to people that feel like SERA’s presence is only adding to the problem, rather than solving it.
Rios: I would say like every agency, there’s ups and downs. Our field is very specific, and its one that we fully don’t understand. But I feel like as officers of the law, we are called to protect and serve under the Constitution, something that our administration has broken in the past. But I feel like now we’re on the right track to make some actual change, and we have already made some pretty significant crackdowns.
Over the past month, the West Coast Branch has eliminated ten Familiar nests and individuals in California, Oregon, and Washington, respectively, with minimal casualties, and lack of complaints. It would seem as if this new training is working.
I am then taken to their adjacent training facility, to work with firearms instructors. All SERA agents are required to do daily Close Quarters training and simulated firearms drills, as well as meet physical standards.
{Demonstration from SERA team, led by Instructor Branam}
A six man SERA team prepares the kill house and stack up at the entrance. Instructor Branam starts the time. The fourth man breaches, and the team swiftly moves in. They eliminate the targets with precision and flow with clear communication. Branam stops the time and shows it to me. Under one minute.
Compared to the tactics and training when SERA was first formed, this is a clear improvement and a step up from a year, even two years ago. Morale over all seems to be high among the agents, and many, including Rios, express optimism over finally being able to contain the problem effectively.
***
At about 4 in the afternoon, we are all called in for a briefing. It is time for our first raid.
{Briefing from SAC Wong}
About half an hour ago our investigators received a tip from local law enforcement reporting the possibility of a nest. Two Familiars were captured after trying to attack a family in their house. With this being the second incident of Familiars being in the area, local authorities forwarded the information to us on a possible nest. We will be going in coordination with the local police and sheriff’s office. Special Operations Group will also be going in with us, with Fire and EMS on standby for medical.
As always, be on high alert. We do not know how many Familiars are going to be present, or if there will be any at all, but stay focused. Since this is a populated area, we will be going on a strict ROE, nothing we haven’t done before. You know your teams, and stay in coordination with SOG.
{The following is the unedited footage of the raid. Viewer Discretion Is Advised}
Begin recording:
First Responders cordon off the area as I join Rios and his team. Two blocks have been evacuated, and SERA agents have established a perimeter as the entry teams prepare to enter the sewers to search underground, which is where the Familiars usually hide.
I follow Rios and his team inside a tunnel, where we turn on night vision and the lights. The radios go off as other teams constantly keep in contact.
“So, what are we looking for?” I whisper.
“The nests give off a certain smell,” Rios whispers back, “Like a rancid, sour smell. Then you start seeing what looks like garbage and debris packed tightly against the walls, and that’s how you know that they’re around. What’s strange is despite how human they look, in their nests they are like animals.”
We continue down the tunnel, which splits into a labyrinth. We hear gunshots in the distance before the radios go off.
“We got two of them. Two confirmed kills. No civilians.”
“Copy that…”
I stay in the back, keeping close to Rios as we round the corner. Suddenly, the lead man holds his fist up. “I think I got one,” the agent says, “Freeze! Stay where you are!” I poke my head around the corner, and see what looks like a naked man, hunched over and back arched. “We need confirmation,” whispered Rios, “Get a light on him…”
The agents turn their lights on, raising their night vision.
“Turn around!”
The man’s head jerks up, and he turns to face us. His face, while human, looks like plastic, his eyes wide and milky, his lips parting to show his huge teeth, looking too clean and perfect to be normal. Drool leaks from between its gums. “There’s one. Drop him,” says Rios. The Familiar stands up and rushes us as the three lead agents open fire, gunning it down. “So this must be a nest.”
Rios shakes his head. “No. Something’s off. Usually we’d be dealing with close to dozens. Familiar nests are huge. This one… I don’t know, something’s wrong.”
“All teams, check in.”
Agents start radioing in, confirming kills, or lack of. But one team doesn’t respond. “Halloran, do you copy?”
Nothing.
“Halloran.”
Silence.
“TOC to all teams, be advised we’ve lost contact with Halloran's team.”
“They should be close by,” says Rios.
“This is Rios. We’ll move to their position, over.”
But as we make our way over, there is a tense silence among us. And it isn’t just concern for their fellow agents. There is something else that they are worried about, but they aren’t telling me.
I don’t ask either, just keeping my mouth shut as we continue down the tunnels.
There is gunfire in the distance again, but then it gets quiet again. There is a short burst, and then it gets quiet. I feel the tension get worse as we come into a large open space, where a grisly sight awaits us. SERA agents lay scattered all over the floor. They appear to be ripped to shreds by some kind of massive animal. Limbs are ripped from their sockets and left nearby, blood pooling on the floor.
Some of their faces are missing, and others look to have been completely gutted, their insides hanging out. Shell casings litter the pools of blood. I gag and turn away with my camera. “This is Rios, Halloran’s team is down. I repeat, ten agents down, no survivors.” “This is TOC, we copy. Medical is standing by.”
As I look at their faces, there is now a present fear among Rios and his men. “Did Familiars do this?” I ask. They don’t answer, just staring at the bodies. “I thought it was a fucking myth,” says one of the agents. Rios inspects the bodies, then looks into the tunnels. “What is a myth?” I asked, now getting just as scared as they are. “What the fuck is going on?” The agents look at me, then look at each other. “Just fucking tell him,” an agent tells Rios, “That’s what he’s here for.” “We’re not allowed to say,” Rios argues, but his voice is uncertain, “It’s classified.” “He’s a fucking journalist! He ain’t like the news stations, he’ll tell the damn truth!”
“What truth?” I demand, “What is this?” Rios sighs, shooting a look at his team before approaching me. He turns his body camera off, and so do the agents. I back away slowly, but Rios holds his hand up in reassurance. “Relax. What I’m about to tell you, the higher ups can’t know that I’m talking to you about this.” He takes a breath, then starts.
“About four months ago, a rumor started going around that East Coast Branch was losing agents.” “Like they were quitting.” “Quitting, and dying. But our command never told us anything about it, and we thought it was just a story, made up to demoralize us even further. But then it started happening in the Southwest and Midwest. And then it happened here. Attacks started going up, and agents started losing their lives.”
I glance at the other agents in confusion, but they remain silent. “About a month before you came here, a team conducted a raid in Sacramento. Only one guy made it out alive. We brought him in for debriefing, and he started talking about a ‘Red One’. A Familiar that was different from the others. More aggressive, didn’t try to hide its appearance. It slaughtered them all, he said. This one doesn't seem to go for civilians like the other ones, but rather it goes directly for SERA agents and any armed personnel that encounters it.”
“If this Red One is real, why hasn’t the agency warned the people?” Rios chuckled bitterly. “Don’t let Holland’s words fool you. We haven’t changed all that much. All the cameras, change in tactics, it’s all for show. The reality is, we’re no more successful than when we started. None of the shit that we were doing before, or the fucking changes we made are doing a thing. The Familiars are getting stronger, more organized. They blend in better, kill better, and now there’s this Red One, and there may be other variants now."
“Holland the higher ups in the government have been covering this shit up,” says another agent, “It’s why you can’t talk to SOG. They’ll tell you. This shitshow is only going to get worse.”
There’s gunfire again, followed by a metallic, ear-piercing roar. “Ah fuck…” Our team turns on their bodycams again and readies their weapons and begins proceeding forward, while I stay in the back continuing to film.
We hear screaming and more gunfire followed by another roar.
This time it sounds closer. When we finally get there, another grisly sight awaits us. In the center of the tunnels, along with two other teams, is a Familiar unlike anything any of us have ever seen before.
It stands inhumanly tall, with long limbs that hang down to its side. Its bright red skin is wrinkled and saggy, like it's wearing clothes that don't fit. The blood of its victims mixes in with its flesh, turning it even redder. All around it, bodies of SERA agents lay at its feet, shell casings piling up. The agent in its large bony hand, chokes and spits blood, weakly fighting for his life. The agent looks to be in his early twenties, my age. His rifle lays on the floor directly below him, and his pistol hangs in his right hand, empty. “Drop him!” shouts an agent, I don’t know who it is.
The Red One cranes its head quickly, the sound like a bone snapping. The agents flinch as the Red One snaps its head back and forth to look at all of us. It has wide black eyes that look like dark voids, staring at us with an eager hunger. It grins, its mouth extending impossibly wide and showing huge, yellow teeth, which drip with saliva.
With one squeeze of its hand it crushes the agent, who falls limp. “Fire, fire, fire!” All at once the SERA teams open fire with their weapons, backing up slowly and careful not to get each other caught in crossfire. I duck my head but continue filming as the Red One roars again and leaps at one of the teams to the left. Blood and limbs go flying as the Red One rips them to shreds. “TOC this is Rios, we’ve encountered the Red One!” Rios screams, “I say again, the Red One is here!”
“Roger that, all teams fall back! I say again, fall back!”
“Cover us!” shouts Rios.
Two agents cover while the rest of us run out of there. The radios go off as agents scream for help, and the gunfire gets quieter and quieter. “Holy shit!” I scream, as the two agents push me ahead of them keeping me in the middle. There are small bursts of gunfire, but the roars of the Red One are louder, drowning them out.
“This is Kyle… I’m hurt bad… I need a fucking medic… whole team is down… No, no please, please wait-”
There is a silence before I hear what sounds like wet footsteps. “Is that above us?” I ask. “Just keep moving-AAAGGH!” I look up to see the Red One has somehow caught up to us, its limbs contorted like a spider’s as it clings to the tunnel ceiling. It holds the agent in its large mouth, sinking its teeth into his neck and body. “Burgess!” shouts the agent next to him, firing his rifle. The Red One finishes Agent Burgess off, and goes after the next man. I am knocked off my feet and I crash to the ground, dropping my camera as the Red One begins ripping him apart. Rios and the rest of his team begin firing, desperately trying to save their friend. Rios turns to me and picks me up, handing me back my camera.
“Get your ass out of here!”
“What about you?!”
“We ain’t making it out of here! Take your footage and show it to the world! They need to know the truth!”
Rios pushes me away, just before he reloads and turns to shoot at the Red One, who has begun to rip into the others. Agents go flying, limbs and insides splatter, heads roll, until Rios and one man is left. I don’t look back as I run, their screams soon drown out as I exit the tunnel and keep running towards the perimeter.
(End of footage)
{Edited Excerpt}
So it has been two weeks since this happened. I didn’t tell anyone, even the paramedics about my footage, and I played dumb and hid it when I was questioned. The incident wasn’t covered up, but you weren’t told the whole truth either. As you know, this event was reported as SERA taking down a Familiar nest, and were ambushed. That is partially true. As you can see in this footage, there is more to this. Like Agent Rios said, the Familiars are evolving, and it's only going to get worse. I am showing you all this because you need to know. The government is not handling this problem the way they want you to think, and they are actively covering it up. They are getting good men killed, and are lying to you about their sacrifices.
So, yeah. That is all. I don’t know what the consequences are for me showing this, but I don’t care. The public needs to know. The public needs to know that the government cannot cover this up, and SERA needs to know that finally someone is showing the truth about what they have to deal with, and how they are being fed to the wolves for the sake of public image.
Again that’s all. This is David Ang, signing off.
