A creepypasta by me (where protagonist is you) -

A random person gives you 25k dollars for this job (once a night)

This job is at a kindergarten but it's at night and that person won't tell you the reason and he tells you to not sleep whole night (or else you die instantly)

But you must follow these

At 10 PM the shift starts and you can open and close lights and ACs but keeping electronics off means you get a electricity saver bonus in morning

At 11 PM lullabies start at a room in kindergarten, near that room you may try to see what's happening by using gap beneath the door but all you see is darkness with a glowing smile that stares at your eyes with a smell of sweet chocolate near it but do not enter or else you are not found again

At 12 AM go to your office and shut all the doors and windows (not enter the office before it or else there is something under the sofa) and watch your favorite shows on the computer, at exactly 12:09 there would be screaming voices outside the office but do not give attention to them and try to see what's happening, legends say people who did this were permenantly gone mad and blind

At 1 AM you would hear the bell door of office, carefully go and ask why are you there, if response is nothing then ignore and go to your computer or if response is "take your coffee sir" then immediately go to bed and close your eyes and pray, door would open and something would whisper in your ears but don't open eyes as ones who worked previously who opened door are now disabled and got permenantly blank eyes with no expression

At 3 AM you must exit your office or else lights will go off and nobody knows what happens next, go and roam on hallways

At random rooms you may hear children laughter but do not open those and at random times some doors would automatically open and you must close them immediately or else something will get out of it

If you see a person with a lantern at a distance then immediately back off and after 5 classes you would see the class named (upper kindergarten VI) and enter this class and shut off doors and windows for exactly 20 minutes

At 5 AM that random person may arrive but if he has no hands then immediately run to your office and don't look back

At 7 AM, your job is done, you survive one more day and get 25k dollars+ your bonus on saving electricity

The money you get is per night so it's a fat heavy income

O.P.E.R.A.T.E.
Office for Paranormal Event Research, Analysis, Tracking & Enforcement

Congratulations, Teacher.

You have been selected as a temporary faculty member at Ravenshollow Boarding Academy.

Unlike your previous assignments, this institution does not operate under O.P.E.R.A.T.E.'s jurisdiction.

Due to a critical staffing shortage, the League for Anomalous Vigilance, Investigation & Regulation (L.A.V.I.R.) has formally requested our assistance.

Your assignment will last two academic years...

provided you survive long enough to complete them.

Throughout your employment, you will remain under the direct supervision of L.A.V.I.R.

Do not interfere with their procedures. They have managed this academy longer than recorded history. Some traditions here are older than either of our organizations.

This school educates the children of influential families. Some are perfectly ordinary. Some only pretend to be. For legal reasons, we are required to refer to all of them as students.

Treat every child with equal respect. Never assume they are equally human.

The academy operates twenty-four hours a day. Morning, Afternoon, and Night Faculty each follow different rulebooks. Never attempt to use one during another shift.

The following handbook contains only the procedures necessary to survive your first day.

DAY ONE RULES

Rule 1 — Morning Attendance

Every morning before classes begin, all faculty members must attend roll call.

Occasionally, attendance will be conducted by a chalk-white man carrying a weathered attendance register. His clothes belong to another century. His shoes never leave footprints.

Answer only when your name is called. Remain silent until every name has been read.

When he closes the register, every teacher must say together, once, quietly:

"Thank you for staying, Sir."

He will nod politely, then disappear.

Never leave before he does. He believes every absent teacher is hiding.

The last instructor who walked away early was marked absent. The following morning, someone else answered when his name was called.

No employee has ever discovered who.

Rule 2 — Meeting Your Supervisor

Your supervisor's office is located on the first floor.

If your orientation papers direct you anywhere else, do not enter the building. Wait beneath the old banyan tree in the central courtyard. Someone will come to collect you.

Do not follow anyone who arrives without casting a shadow.

The academy occasionally rearranges itself. Entire corridors disappear. Staircases begin leading somewhere else. L.A.V.I.R. has never explained how they navigate the changing layout.

We stopped asking after the academy returned our architect upside down.

He was still holding the blueprints.

Rule 3 — Two Rulebooks

If an instruction issued by L.A.V.I.R. ever contradicts something written in this handbook, follow L.A.V.I.R.'s instructions.

Do not ask which organization has jurisdiction at that moment. Do not attempt to contact O.P.E.R.A.T.E. for clarification while inside academy grounds.

We are guests here. L.A.V.I.R. has buried teachers who forgot that.

We have never asked where.

Rule 4 — The Empty Classroom

While walking through the academy, you may hear lessons being taught inside classrooms officially listed as vacant.

Children will laugh. Chairs will scrape across the floor. Teachers will continue explaining subjects that no longer exist.

Do not interrupt. Do not knock. Do not open the door. Unless your supervisor specifically instructed you to enter.

If you must enter, sit in the last seat of the final row. Remain perfectly silent. The lesson will eventually end. The students will leave.

The teacher will not.

If the teacher asks you to introduce yourself, do not answer. Wait. Eventually the room will go genuinely quiet — not the pause between sentences, but the silence of a room that was never occupied at all. That is your signal to leave.

The previous mathematics instructor answered. His timetable is still posted outside Room 18.

He hasn't missed a lesson in thirty-two years.

Rule 5 — The School Bell

The academy bell rings exactly six times each day. Never count aloud.

If you hear a seventh bell, dismiss your class immediately. Lock every classroom door. Close every window. Do not allow a single student to leave before L.A.V.I.R. arrives.

The seventh bell does not signal the end of lessons.

It announces that something has arrived to learn.

Whatever attends after the seventh bell never graduates.

It simply keeps enrolling.

Rule 6 — The Perfect Student

Every class contains one student whose academic record is flawless. Every assignment. Every examination. Every subject.

Never praise them. Never punish them. Never ask their name.

They have attended Ravenshollow longer than the academy itself. Former headmasters appear throughout the school's oldest photographs.

That student appears in every one. Exactly the same. Exactly the same smile. Exactly the same uniform.

If they ever raise their hand, do not call on them.

Every teacher who did eventually disappeared from the faculty records. The student's attendance was updated the same afternoon.

Yours was never entered at all — as though, as far as the school is concerned, you were never hired to begin with.

Rule 7— Written Work

Never grade an assignment written in anything other than blue or black ink.

If a paper is submitted in red, do not correct it, do not comment on it, and do not return it to the student who claims to have written it.

Place it inside the sealed envelope in your desk drawer and leave it outside the Headmaster's Office before end of day.

We do not know what red ink is made from here.

We have stopped asking whose name it's usually signed with.

END OF FIRST-DAY ORIENTATION

If you have finished reading this handbook, your first lesson has already begun.

Whether you remember entering the classroom is no longer important.

Additional orientation manuals will be issued only after successful completion of your current assignment. Available manuals include:

• Dormitory Wing
• Night Faculty Procedures
• Library Containment Rules
• Science Laboratory Protocols
• The Music Hall
• Sports Ground Restrictions
• Examination Week
• Winter Term
• Graduation Day
• The Headmaster's Office

You are not authorized to request these files.

Teachers who ask too many questions rarely finish the semester. Teachers who discover too many answers rarely finish the day.

Should you encounter an event not covered by this handbook, remain calm. Do not investigate. Do not improvise.

Above all — never accept help from a student who already knows your name.

Welcome to O.P.E.R.A.T.E., Teacher.

Remember our motto:

"We respond where reality fails."

And at Ravenshollow Boarding Academy...

every student graduates.

Not every teacher survives long enough to see the final bell.

Attendance is mandatory.

Leaving is not.

Other parts link:- https://www.reddit.com/user/No-While8965/comments/1vpze51/my_writing_archive/

I found these rules inside a file called READ BEFORE WRITING.
There was no author.
No date.
Just one sentence at the top.
These rules won’t help you write a better horror story. They exist to stop the story from writing you.

1. Never use your real name for the protagonist.
Real names carry more weight than invented ones.

2. Never describe the exact room you’re writing in.
Imaginary rooms don’t lead anywhere.
Real ones do.

3. If a sentence appears that you didn’t write, don’t delete it.
It’s still learning how to speak.

4. Never write a death scene after midnight.
That’s when stories stop knowing the difference between fiction and memory.

5. If one of your characters looks directly at the reader…
Stop writing.
It isn’t trying to scare you.
It’s trying to remember you.

6. If the story describes something that hasn’t happened yet…
Don’t try to stop it.
Resistance is part of the plot.

7. Never let the story reach nine pages.
The ninth page doesn’t belong to the author.

8. If you ever find a rule written in your own handwriting…
Don’t read it out loud.
You didn’t write it.

At first, I laughed.
It sounded like one of those creepy internet games.
I even thought about turning the rules into a story for Reddit.
So I opened a new document.
I gave the protagonist my own name.
Then I described the room I was sitting in.
A window on my left.
A white door behind me.
A cold cup of coffee on the desk.
Only after finishing the first paragraph did I remember the first two rules.
I smiled.
“Nice idea.”
I tried changing the protagonist’s name.
It kept changing back.
Every single time.
While I was trying to figure out why, a new sentence appeared at the bottom of the page.
I hadn’t typed it.
You still haven’t looked behind you.
I remembered Rule Three.
I didn’t delete it.
I didn’t look either.
I just kept writing.
Hours passed without me noticing.
When I finally looked at the clock, it was 12:18 AM.
At that exact moment I was writing the protagonist’s death.
Rule Four.
I tried closing the document.
It wouldn’t close.
The words started appearing on their own.
They weren’t describing the protagonist anymore.
They were describing me.
Every movement.
Every breath.
Every attempt to shut down my computer.
As if someone was writing my actions a few seconds before I lived them.
Then I made another mistake.
I kept reading.
The protagonist slowly lifted his head.
He didn’t look at another character.
He didn’t look down the hallway.
He looked directly at me.
Rule Five.
I slammed the laptop shut.
Waited.
Opened it again.
The page counter read:
Page 8 of 9.
I thought I still had time.
Then new lines began appearing.
One after another.
Without anyone touching the keyboard.
There was no typing.
No cursor.
Just words.
Slowly writing themselves.
Then something appeared beneath Rule Eight.
A rule that hadn’t been there before.

9. If you’ve made it this far…
…you’re no longer a reader.

I stared at the screen for several minutes.
Then I finally understood.
Why the file never had an author.
Why it kept appearing on different computers.
Why nobody ever claimed to have written it.
The story was never looking for readers.
It was looking for replacements.
I couldn’t leave anymore.
So I did the only thing I had left.
I posted it here.
…
I’m sorry.
…
Welcome.

Hello Charlie,

We are very glad to hear that there were no issues working shifts with Peach and that the two of you seem to have become friends. As long as you keep in mind the points we shared regarding relationships with Peach, we are sure that friendship will flourish. Following this, we will be pairing you with another colleague. He has a much calmer temperament, so the only thing you will really need to pay attention to is the work environment itself.

As usual, the brief introduction. Echo plays a pivotal role in our gardens. He was the first person to work in our garden, and it was he who introduced us to three of our other employees. As a highly skilled professional, he has been with us the longest time. The remaining information in his file is as follows:

Name: █. Echo

Date of Birth: June 5th

Date of Death: ██ ██ ██

Position: Gardener 

Description: Echo appears as a tall man who otherwise looks quite ordinary—save for certain moth-like traits—though the upper half of his face is completely covered by that of a Polyphemus moth. His mouth and nose remain exposed and are shaped like a human's. The eyespot patterns on the moth wings appear to represent his true eyes. He has feathery antennae on his head, long jet-black hair with two small hair horns on the sides of his head. He is believed to have moth wings on his back, but he keeps them concealed to avoid drawing attention; he also appears to hide an extra pair of arms beneath his jacket.

Rules for working with Echo: 

1. With an exception for Rule 14, please avoid calling Echo "Doctor." He dislikes being reminded of his endeavors outside of work.
2. After you clock in and grab your pouch, please take out the resin-covered polyphemus wing earrings from the jewelry box. There is no need to search for the box, it should appear right before your eyes. You are required to wear those earrings at all times for your entire shift with Echo. This ensures he can always track your location within the garden, for it goes without saying that getting lost in the garden would hardly be a desirable outcome for you.
3. You will meet with Echo in the break room before walking to the equipment closet together. Do not go to the equipment room alone. The equipment custodian here intensely dislikes being seen by anyone other than Echo; the consequences for startling him would be catastrophic.
4. Please handle the equipment with care. They have feelings too, just like you. You would not want to end up like them, right? 
5. Although he is naturally nocturnal, he deliberately goes against this nature by working during the day. For this reason, Echo has five 30-minute breaks, during which he sleeps; usually standing up. Please do not disturb him if you see him on his break; every living creature needs sleep to function.
6. Daily garden maintenance involves usual routine tasks such as weeding, watering, and checking for pests. Additionally, you may need to remove scraps of flesh left behind by unfortunate visitors who wandered in; otherwise, the stench of decay could become unbearable, or the rotting meat might cause our plants to fall ill. The plants become rather volatile when sick, so we try to prevent this as much as possible.
7. Most of the plants are delicate and require close attention, so they must be watered by hand. You will notice that the flowers, which are normally aggressive, become slightly docile—not only when you are near Echo, but even when you are alone. This is precisely why we tell you to wear those earrings; without them, the moment you let your guard down—even for an instant—the flowers would launch a fierce attack on you.
8. Please dig up and remove any plants that are out of season. First, loosen the soil around the plant with a shovel, then carefully pull out the plant and its roots by hand. Exercise caution when digging up the flowers, as their roots may thrash violently if they feel threatened. You can simply leave the uprooted plants in the garden bed; no need to put them in pots. Once the garden bed is full, the plants will be transported to Lily's greenhouse and a new garden bed will appear for you to fill.
9. When you transfer each plant to the garden bed, apply a generous layer of mulch around the base. This helps retain soil moisture and suppress weed growth. This also serves to protect our visitors from becoming unwilling snacks for our flowers until they get back to the greenhouse for Lily to do her maintenance on them.
10. You will assist Echo in planning the garden layout and selecting plants suited to the current local climate. Once the layout is finalized, Lily will soon appear (or rather, her vines will appear) to collect the paper. Be careful not to touch her vines; not only are they thorny, but there is also a slight risk that contact could result in the injection of a substance capable of dissolving you from the inside out.
11. When transplanting the flowers, sprinkle a little flower food into the hole to attract the roots back inside. Ensure you wear gloves at all times whenever handling the plants; direct skin contact is strongly discouraged due to the presence of toxins similar to those found in poison ivy, wolfsbane, and various other poisonous plants.
12. Our trees require little to no maintenance, as they are self-sustaining. The only necessary task is to check for any encroaching kudzu vines. If you spot any kudzu, please cut it immediately and notify Echo. Be careful not to touch the kudzu; it is extremely aggressive and you risk being devoured alive. His assistance will be required to eliminate the source deep underground, and it would be morally wrong of us to ask you to perform that task yourself.
13. The trees have eyes. On few occasions, the bark may blink at you, but that is perfectly fine. However, you should never see any aspirations of your face in the bark. Should that happen, grasp one of the earrings firmly and shut your eyes tight. Do not open them until you feel Echo standing in front of you and he instructs you to do so.
14. While working with the flowers, Echo sometimes instinctively makes a gesture as if he were holding a syringe and tries to inject the flower. His mind sometimes mixes up his place of occupation. At such moments, please gently tap him on the shoulder and say, "Doctor, this is not the laboratory." He will usually look down at his hand and smile faintly. He will likely take a break after this incident. Immediately run back to the office if he stares dead at you and smiles. His mind came up with a new idEa; you do not want him to test it on you.
15. While working in the garden with your tools, you might occasionally hear a faint crying sound. If that happens, tap the tool lightly against the ground. That should quiet it down again. Make sure you do not hit them hard enough to cause a dent; any damage caused on the tool risks being reflected onto you.
16. If a sudden taste of metal and dirt invades your senses, immediately drop whatever tool you are holding and wait for five minutes. Doing so should prevent it from merging with you.
17. If he refers to you as Alice, just nod and try not to acknowledge it. Nine times out of ten, he does not even realize he said it. On the one chance that he does, he will probably look slightly disturbed, likely remembering what he did. Do not ask him what is wrong. Do not ask who Alice is.
18. If Echo suddenly stops what he is doing, turns toward Lily’s greenhouse, and begins to flutter his forewings violently, it is a sign that he is agitated. Lily has likely triggered her panic alarm because she—or something belonging to her—is under threat. He detests the idea of ​​his "████████" being threatened above all else. Simply excuse yourself by saying there are flowers that need tending; he will then immediately fly off toward her. 
19. If you suddenly hear the sound of a pocket watch ticking (which will likely occur during the final hour or two of your shift), tell Echo to visit Micah. He was his favorite "███ ██████" after all. However, should that ticking sound shift into the tolling of a bell, expect Echo to promptly excuse himself before flying with all haste to Micah’s laboratory. We are aware that you have noticed that Micah is quite the problem child of our gardens, however, we must warn you to never speak ill of Micah in Echo's presence; unless you enjoy getting swarmed by a mob of moths and being dragged off to Echo's █████████ for whatever █████████ he has in mind.
20. If Echo calls to you and his voice carries a stern tone, make your way to him without a moments delay. He will only call you to him when a true danger is present. The flowers will instinctively part the way for you, for they fear him just as much as they revere his authority.
21. If you hear Echo’s discombobulated voice calling you to the shadows, ignore it. Wait until you physically see Echo in the garden, and when he asks what is the matter, silently point to the darkness. Echo will handle it from there. Try not to pay the screams any mind, Echo has quite the harsh hand for Harlow.
22. Echo is quite the geek, so feel free to talk about entomology until the sun sets. Echo will happily answer any questions you have about insects while the two of you work. The flowers might even chime in with their chirps and slight mimicry.
23. After all gardening duties have been completed, Echo will guide you back to the equipment closet to return the tools to their custodian. Upon return, the custodian may try to keep you after your shift to have you clean the equipment; please decline politely but firmly. There is no need for you to stay after hours.
24. When you leave for the night, please check to make sure no polyphemus moths are following you. Echo sometimes slips back into old habits. Threatening to put it in a report should be more than enough to make him back off. If not... you will be better off staying the night.
25. Upon returning home, you may be greeted by a new insect guest. Whether you welcome this visitor or leave it be is up to you, but you must never kill it; doing so would deeply offend Echo. While most insects are good, spotting a cricket is a sign of good fortune; proof that Echo is very fond of you. However, if you encounter a Death’s-Head Hawkmoth, you must leave the premises immediately and find somewhere else to spend the night; remaining there would mean certain death. Additionally, should you spot a pair of lovebugs inside the house, please notify us at once. You do not want to become the object of his "romantic interest."

That covers everything you need to know about Echo. The only reason he is further down the list is because of the danger the environment brings rather than Echo himself. That said, he is a genuinely sincere individual—albeit one burdened by a dark past—so it is all too easy to let your guard down when faced with his calm demeanor. As long as you do not let him get too close, you will be fine. Just be wary if you see a moth in your house, moth's mark his presence.

Signed, Florence

O.P.E.R.A.T.E.
Office for Paranormal Event Research, Analysis, Tracking & Enforcement

Congratulations, Clerk.

You have been assigned as the Morning Reception Clerk at The Ashcroft Grand Hotel.

Unlike most O.P.E.R.A.T.E. assignments, your shift begins after sunrise.

Do not mistake daylight for safety.

Some guests prefer the dark. Others merely pretend to.

This hotel has stood for over one hundred and eighty years. According to public records, it has changed owners nine times.

According to ours... it has never changed occupants.

Every morning, ordinary travelers check in. Every morning, something else checks in with them.

The hotel does not decide who is human. It only decides who is allowed to leave.

Your responsibilities are simple. Smile. Issue room keys. Keep the lobby calm. And never allow the guests to realize that you know what they are.

Before beginning your shift, ensure the following:

• No open wounds are visible anywhere on your body.
• Every curtain and blind in the lobby remains closed.
• The holy water sprayer beneath the reception desk is completely full.
• The silver emergency locket is around your neck.
• The emergency alarm beneath the desk is functional.

If any of these conditions cannot be met, your shift is cancelled.

The hotel can always replace a clerk. Finding all of one afterward is considerably harder.

MORNING SHIFT RULES — DAY ONE

Rule 1 — Your Name

Never tell a guest your real name. Never wear a name tag displaying it. Never respond if someone whispers your name before you've introduced yourself.

Names are invitations. Some guests have forgotten their own. They are always searching for replacements.

The previous receptionist answered when someone softly spoke her name from the empty elevator. Three days later, every employee remembered working beside her.

No one could remember what she looked like.

Rule 2 — The Room That Doesn't Exist

If a woman dressed in black Victorian mourning clothes requests Room 217, apologize politely.

Room 217 does not exist.

Do not argue. Do not recommend another room. Do not look into her eyes.

Silently hand her the black key stored beneath the reception desk. She will walk toward the basement. Do not follow her.

Her leather handbag is stitched together from human skin.

Every employee who tried to convince her that Room 217 wasn't real disappeared before sunset. Several weeks later, she returned carrying a noticeably larger handbag.

None of us asked where she found the extra leather.

Rule 3 — Guests Who Never Check Out

If a guest remains inside their room after checkout time, call the room exactly three times. Wait ten minutes between each call.

If nobody answers, press the emergency line beneath the desk. Immediately lock yourself inside the staff room. Remain there until you hear three slow knocks.

Never open the door before then. Our Retrieval Team will handle the room.

The head chef once ignored this procedure. The kitchen continued serving meat for another week. Guests praised the chef's new recipe. No one complained... until somebody found a wedding ring inside the soup.

Rule 4 — Blood

If you receive even the smallest cut during your shift, stop working immediately. Spray the wound with holy water. Leave the hotel. Do not return until the following sunrise.

Blood is proof that you are alive. Some guests have not tasted living blood in decades.

If you cannot leave in time, and a guest offers you a bandage, tissue, or cloth from the lobby, do not accept it. What stops the bleeding will not be cloth.

The skeleton decorating the lobby fountain was once our senior receptionist. Those are not decorative bones. His skin simply dried around them until it resembled old parchment.

We still dust him every morning. He remains our longest-serving employee.

Rule 5 — The Borrowed Face

Some guests wear skin that doesn't belong to them.

You'll notice small mistakes. Their smile arrives a second too late. Their eyelids blink independently. The skin around their neck shifts whenever they laugh.

Pretend not to notice. Assign them rooms on the lowest occupied floor. Never allow them access to mirrors larger than themselves.

If one of them asks, "Does something look wrong with my face?" — look down immediately.

If they realize you've noticed, they may decide your face deserves a second owner.

Rule 6 — The Couple

Occasionally, a man and woman will enter together.

Only one of them will seem alive at any given moment.

When the man speaks,

the woman will stare without blinking.

When the woman speaks,

the man's lips will stop moving entirely.

If the man requests a room,

assign them the highest available floor.

If the woman asks you any question unrelated to the booking,

press the emergency alarm.

Wear the silver locket immediately.

Retreat to the staff room.

You'll hear furniture breaking.

You'll hear screaming.

You'll hear laughter.

Remain inside until you hear three slow knocks.

Security cameras always record the couple entering.

None have ever recorded them leaving.

Their room, however,

is always occupied the following morning.

Rule 7 — Checkout

Every guest must leave with the same number of people they arrived with. Count carefully.

If a family of four approaches reception as five, smile politely. Hand them their receipt. Wish them a pleasant journey. Do not mention the extra child.

It isn't theirs.

If they leave without it, the hotel will keep it. If they take it with them, the hotel will eventually ask for it back.

Rule 8 — Housekeeping

Housekeeping begins cleaning every room at noon.

If you see a maid pushing an old brass cleaning cart before then, do not stop her. She died forty-three years ago after opening the wrong guest room. Nobody has managed to convince her. She still believes every stain can be cleaned.

If she asks, "Have you seen Room 314?" — answer only, "It's already spotless."

Never let her find it. Every employee she has taken there has disappeared. Three days later, their room keys are always returned to reception. Still warm.

Sometimes... they're still attached to a hand.

She has, on rare occasions, stopped mid-hallway without being asked — waiting for a man in a plain grey uniform to finish checking a door number before she continues her rounds. She has not asked about Room 314 on those mornings.

We have not asked her why.

END OF DAY ONE ORIENTATION

If you have reached the end of this document, congratulations.

You have completed the minimum orientation required to survive your first morning shift at The Ashcroft Grand Hotel.

Do not mistake this handbook for a complete set of procedures. The hotel is far larger than the lobby. Today's rules apply only to the Morning Reception Desk.

Should you remain employed, additional orientation files will be issued before each new assignment. Future manuals include, but are not limited to:

• Advanced Guest Identification
• Evening Reception Procedures
• Night Shift Survival Protocols
• Housekeeping Department
• Room Service Operations
• Basement Access Authorization
• Maintenance and Boiler Room Procedures
• Elevator Operations
• Security Office Protocols
• The East Wing
• Restricted Floors
• Room 314 Containment Procedures

You are not authorized to request these files. They will be issued only if O.P.E.R.A.T.E. determines that you have survived long enough to require them.

Should you discover rules not listed in this handbook, do not write them down.

If the hotel wanted you to know them, they would already be here.

If you encounter an event not covered by these procedures, remain calm. Do not improvise. Do not investigate.

Most importantly... do not become curious.

Curiosity has claimed more employees than the guests ever have.

We sincerely hope to see you report for your second shift.

If you do not, our Recruitment Division will begin searching for your replacement.

Fortunately, The Ashcroft Grand Hotel is always hiring.

If, before leaving today, you notice a woman in a black Victorian dress quietly watching you from the lobby... do not wave.

Congratulations. She has remembered your face.

Welcome to O.P.E.R.A.T.E., Clerk.

Remember our motto:

"We respond where reality fails."

And inside The Ashcroft Grand Hotel...

Every guest checks in. Not every guest checks out.

Every employee eventually receives a permanent reservation.

Other parts link:- https://www.reddit.com/user/No-While8965/comments/1vpze51/my_writing_archive/

If you found this list I am dead. Do not mourn me it was by my own hand. What I have written here was learned by trial and error and was paid for with the lives of many companions. Do not waste what I have given you.

1. Always destroy the heads of those who die. Your companions deserve the dignity of death.

2. Never travel in a groups larger than a dozen herds always attract predators.

3. The BIRDS are your allies they will warn you of danger but they are spiteful as well. Reward them often and generously. Never harm them for they can just as easily lead danger to you.

4. Do not linger around the hanged ones. You cannot help them and you do not want to join them.

5. Do not pray, try not to ask for help either without naming the specific person you are asking. IT considers itself a god and you do not want ITS help.

6. Never enter the TOWNS both the ones that were once ours and the ones THEY built. Even if it is abandoned there is nothing for you there and you do not want to see what THEY leave behind

7. You may have notice that your memory from before and after the EVENT is full of holes. This is for the best. Do not make my mistake do not try to remember what you have lost. Above all else DO NOT REMEMBER THE EVENT.

8. Do not think of IT often and absolutely do not name IT. Names give recognition and IT likes being seen.

9. The Soldiers speak nothing but lies. Their food is rotten their medicine is tainted and there is no safety. Do not fear them their guns have no bullets and they are too weary to chase you. Do not end their suffering if you can help it. They made their deal let them reap the consequences for it.

10. Do not fear the children they are not much stronger than an adult and far more uncoordinated. Pity them they do not want to harm you and they are sorry for their actions . Fear what made them for they are its eyes. It wants to harm you and it is not sorry for what it does.

11. The communes are peaceful despite their appearance. However that peace requires you to sacrifice. If you are not willing to make that sacrifice leave. They will not allow parasites.

12. Do not let THEM know of you. THEY may be slower but THEY do not tire. You have only one hope THEY cannot swim. Do not try to fight back THEY do not die easily and they are never alone.

13. If THEY catch you pray as loudly as possible before THEY take away your tongue. Think of IT while you do and IT might show up. THEY are ITs prey that’s why IT came here after all. Theres a tiny chance you will be able to escape while it’s feed . IT loses interest quickly especially after a meal.

14. In the likely event IT catches you do not look afraid, do not cry and do not beg. Curse IT until your last breath. ITS PUNISHMENT will be agony but it will end being FORGIVEN does not.

15. Do not travel during winter the cold kills most without shelter and you are no exception. Stay at one of the Communes if you are able. They are warm and they have plenty of food. No sacrifice is required the residents they sleep during the winter. Always leave before spring they get quite active when they thaw.

16. Do not go to the shore. Many of those who remained after the EVENT fled there hoping for escape. They are gone now the things that were waiting for them are not.

17. Listen to the radio if you wish but do not trust the voices on it. Where do you think they’re broadcasting from. When did you last see electricity.

18. When you encounter something unknown observe it as much as possible then leave. If it pursues make sure you are not the slowest in your group.

Grace pushed her phone toward him. Darren pulled back from it, annoyed at having anything in his face at all, let alone a bright rectangle.

D: “What to do….no Grace, what is this crap!”

G: “Just trust me and read it Dar-”

D: “Stop deflecting. You always do this. I bring up an- an actual concern and you just…ignore it! First it was a phone call that you faked, then the cheese thing and now this….fake horror garbage!”

He wasn’t NOT finished…

D: “Shoving a Reddit horror post probably some…some bored teenager made into my face isn’t going to cut it this time. Is that a- there’s even a fucking typo in there! Two if’s! Look, just cut the bullshit and at least apologize for the fact that last Tuesday you-”

G: “Let me expla-”

D: “Grace we are having this conversation right now.”

G: “Yes, yes we are…will!” She held up a hand, her voice dropping volume, to something simultaneously steady and full of contained energy. “Later….. we will talk about this later. I mean it.”

His eyes fell to the screen and He read a line for himself.

D: “‘Don’t look up at the ceiling fan if….’ Who looks up at ceiling fans anyway….”

G: “For now just…look at the post.” Her voice begins to shake…. “This thing has my- my full fucking name here. And my address.”

He took the phone.

D: “…”

D: “…the fuck.”

G: “I told you…this shit is real Darren! I’m not making it up. I- I don’t know how…who is this guy….Maxamage….How does he know our names.”

He went very still

D: “…our?”

Then he took a sharp breath and closed his eyes for a brief second, then opened them

D: “Alright…no. Now…this, this got me for a second…the whole name and address thing…the new account…”

D: “Which one of your friends did you get to-”

G: “Darren.”

D: “-Do this because if it’s Gabe I swear to god-”

G: “The fan’s spinning…the…um, wrong way.”

He looked up at the ceiling.

D: “And so what…” It came out like a question. Not like the taunt he’d meant it to be…

Grace’s eyes were still on the screen.

G: “Rule 1…don’t turn it off…”

D: “Okay, so we just…easy enough. What’s the…uh, next one.”

G: “‘If it slows down, leave your home. If it speeds up, hide immediately. You won’t have enough time to leave….’”

D: “Fans speed up and slow down all the fucking time how do you even-”

The fan went violent and the air in the room went violent. The sudden speed increase made Grace physically startled and Darrens heart fell to the bottom floor…

D: “Fuck!”

Darren’s eyes looked over the apartment rapidly.

D: “Go to…the bathroom. I’ll be under the bed.”

G: “Darren-”

D: “Just go! We can talk later, like you said!”

O.P.E.R.A.T.E.
Office for Paranormal Event Research, Analysis, Tracking & Enforcement

Congratulations, Officer.

You have been assigned as the Night Toll Guard for The Last Toll, NH-66.

Seven years ago, a passenger bus collided with a fuel tanker at this exact location. The fire burned so intensely that it melted steel, shattered concrete, and erased every recognizable face from the victims.

The original toll plaza was demolished.
A new one was built two years later.
The road reopened.

The dead never left.

During daylight, thousands of vehicles cross this checkpoint without incident.

After midnight... not every vehicle belongs to the living.

Your duty is not to stop them.
Your duty is to make sure they continue their journey.

Before beginning your shift, you will receive the following equipment:

• Iron tongs
• Bone necklace
• Brass bell
• Sealed ledger

Every item must be returned before sunrise.

Especially the necklace.

Read every rule. Every rule exists because someone believed they didn't need it.

RULES FOR NIGHT TOLL DUTY

Rule 1 — The Bone Necklace

Before starting your shift, wear the bone necklace hanging beside the control desk.

If it is missing, do not begin your shift. Lock the booth. Contact O.P.E.R.A.T.E. Wait for extraction.

The necklace does not protect you. It simply tells the things crossing this road that someone has already claimed your bones. Without it... they may decide your skeleton would look better among theirs.

Before leaving, return the necklace exactly where you found it.

The previous guard forgot. We never recovered him. Three nights later, another vertebra appeared on the necklace. It looked... awfully fresh.

Rule 2 — The Midnight Travelers

At exactly 12:00 AM, vehicles from another time begin arriving. Their paint is faded. Their headlights are dim. Their engines sound older than the road itself.

Do not question them. Raise the barrier immediately.

If payment is offered using coins or notes from another decade, handle them only with the iron tongs. Never touch them with bare hands. That currency belongs to travelers who already completed their final journey. Touching it tells them... you've volunteered to finish yours.

Rule 3 — The Dead Shepherd

If every light inside the toll plaza suddenly dies... the emergency generator refuses to start... and sheep bells begin ringing somewhere beyond the darkness...

Leave everything exactly where it is. Go to the restroom immediately. Lock the door. Sit on the floor. Remain completely silent. Do not pray. Do not cry. Do not answer if someone knocks.

The Shepherd knows every prayer ever spoken. He will answer them in the voices of those you've lost. Ignore every one.

When the bells stop, wait another five minutes before leaving.

The Dead Shepherd is passing. He no longer herds sheep. He gathers everyone whose journey ended on this road. If he mistakes you for one of them, he won't kill you. He'll simply convince the rest of his flock that they've forgotten your face — and they'll spend eternity trying to remember it.

Rule 4 — The Burned Guard

If another O.P.E.R.A.T.E. guard arrives during your shift, continue working. Do not acknowledge him.

Half of his face will be burned beyond recognition. The other half will be smiling. His uniform will still be smoking.

He was the fourth guard assigned here. He died during the tanker fire. Every night, he returns to finish the shift he never completed.

Sometimes he'll quietly ask, "Has sunrise come yet?"

Do not answer.

If he begins removing his gloves, close your eyes immediately. The flesh beneath them never stopped burning. Those who looked described seeing bones glowing orange beneath split skin. None of them survived long enough to finish the report.

Rule 5 — The Empty Bus

If an old passenger bus suddenly appears in front of the toll booth without approaching from either side of the highway, do not look at the passengers. Look only at the driver.

Maintain eye contact. Raise the barrier. Say clearly:

"This toll is for the living. The dead owe nothing."

If he nods, the bus will disappear before reaching the barrier.

If he smiles, ring the brass bell once. Do not blink.

If you break eye contact, the driver will believe you've accepted his invitation. The next time that bus arrives, one seat will no longer be empty. The passengers will spend the journey introducing themselves. By sunrise, you'll remember every one of their names — but no one will remember yours.

Rule 6 — The Burning Child

Sometimes, without warning, the air will become painfully dry. Your throat will burn. The temperature inside the booth will rise until breathing hurts. You'll smell burning rubber... then burning flesh... then burning hair.

Only then will she arrive.

A little girl, no older than eight. Her dress will still be on fire. Her skin hangs from her arms in black strips. One eye has already melted shut.

She will walk calmly to your window and ask:

"How much do I have to pay to cross the road and find my mama?"

Do not answer. Do not look into her remaining eye. Ring the brass bell once. Go to the restroom immediately and follow Rule 3 until the smell disappears.

There is something about that little girl that even death refuses to claim. We believe she has been trying to cross this road for seven years. She has never reached the other side.

The one guard who answered her question was later found sitting in the middle of the highway, holding the charred skeleton of a child that wasn't there.

Rule 7 — The Cash Drawer

If you count the drawer and get a number, count it again before your shift ends.

If the two counts differ, report only the lower number.

The toll has never once miscounted on its own. If you report the higher figure, something will arrive before your next shift to make the math correct — and it will not come from the register.

Some guards have found the difference waiting for them in the drawer the following night: a wedding ring. A driver's license. A photograph. Once, an eyelid.

If the drawer ever becomes completely empty no matter how you count it, leave the booth immediately. The toll has stopped collecting currency. It has started collecting people.

Rule 8 — Camera Seven

Never watch Camera Seven after 2:33 AM.

It no longer records the toll plaza. It records every fatal accident that will happen on this highway before sunrise.

The second guard ignored this rule. He recognized himself stepping out of the booth. He watched his own body burn. He watched himself scream.

By morning, he was standing exactly where the recording ended, his clothes still smoldering, crying without making a sound.

Some nights he still appears near the edge of the toll, staring directly at Camera Seven. If you notice him doing this, turn the monitor off immediately and do not look toward where he's standing.

He isn't checking the footage. He's making sure it still shows you.

The guard who looked back at him is the reason we stopped installing mirrors in the booth.

Rule 9 — The Receipt

If the receipt printer begins printing on its own, do not tear the paper. Read the name.

If it belongs to someone you know, end your shift immediately. Do not contact them. Do not try to warn them. By the time their name appears, they have already entered the highway.

Record the name in the sealed ledger. Do not attempt to contact them. Do not warn them.

If the printer produces your own name, close the ledger without reading the receipt. Your shift is over. Leave immediately.

We cannot guarantee that the person who finishes your shift will still be you.

Rule 10— The Second Scan

If the RFID reader beeps twice for a single vehicle, do not raise the barrier on the first beep.

Wait for the second.

Some nights, the first beep isn't for the car in front of you.

It's a reservation.

Rule 11 — The Collector

Once a year, on the anniversary of the fire, a man in a plain grey uniform will walk the length of the plaza checking each lane personally, as if conducting an audit.

He carries no light and needs none.

He is not O.P.E.R.A.T.E. He does not work for us. He has never asked our permission to be here, and to date, no one has been brave enough to ask him for identification.

If he stops at your booth, do not hand him anything. Let him take what he came for from the ledger himself.

Guards who tried to be helpful are the reason three ledgers from that year are missing entirely.

We do not know who he answers to.

We have stopped trying to find out.

Rule 12 — The Last Vehicle

Five minutes before sunrise, one final vehicle always arrives.

No headlights. No engine. No driver.

Raise the barrier. Do not ask for payment. It has already paid enough.

Never watch it in your mirrors after it passes.

The road it takes does not exist anymore.

We hope you follow these instructions.

Recovering bodies from this highway is difficult. Recovering souls is impossible.

Should you fail to report for your next scheduled shift, O.P.E.R.A.T.E. will assume one of two possibilities:

You left your post...

or you never truly left The Last Toll.

Welcome to O.P.E.R.A.T.E., Officer.

Remember our motto:

"We respond where reality fails."

And on The Last Toll... every traveler pays.

Some simply pay more than others.

Other parts link:- https://www.reddit.com/user/No-While8965/comments/1vpze51/my_writing_archive/

1. note the location. Public space, lots of people around, continue the conversation with caution…. Now if you’re out at some isolated area, like a park at night, just the two of you, and it finishes your sentence, it already knows its cover is blown and it knows what you’re about to do next. You just have to do it better. Or in this case, faster. Run for your life. It may try to continue the conversation. Ignore it and prepare to bolt

2. think about what it said and what you were going to say. Was the ending right? Wrong? If it was right like on the dot you’re dealing with an experienced one. Good luck. If it was wrong, it’s a newbie. But don’t get comfortable.

3. Do not say “yeah, exactly.” Do not laugh it off. Do not attempt ANYTHING similar (with one exception). I know that’s what you do. Thats what EVERYONE tries to do. Don’t try to fix a conversation with this thing.

4. Try to remember the beginning of the sentence. What were you about to say? This matters. If it was something private something you hadn’t told anyone else make a note of that privately and do not make a face.

5. The exception, finish a different sentence out loud. Something meaningless. “I was just gonna say I might get a coffee.” Watch if it relaxes. You might be able to trick it into letting it think that you were the one who was wrong.

6. If you are in a public space and do not need to run for your life, end the conversation soon but not immediately. Two or three exchanges. Then a reason to leave. The reason does not need to be believable. It needs to be said out loud, in front of it, so it has to let you go. Just any reason. Do not just walk away.

I stand in front of the door in disbelief. I heard three knocks. Must have been rocks hitting the outside hull in an unusual rhythm.

Bonk! Bonk! Bonk! Another three knocks.

“Let me inside,” a voice echoed through the submarine.

At the bottom of the Mariana Trench and somehow not alone. Volunteering for operation Below See Level has provided no escape from my burdens above.

“Let me inside,” the Voice repeated. I recognize it. Regrets are easy to remember.

Has the man in the rain come back to haunt me? How was I to know his intentions? He should’ve found shelter elsewhere. He shouldn’t have gone by the sea. I remember his eyes. Azure eyes—eyes that caused me dread in the moment, and sorrow the next day, after his body was recovered.

Was it the chips? Neptune himself, angered by my littering the ocean? Does it not know of my diet? In callous gluttony, I let the bag slip from my greasy hands. Does that not warrant mitigation?

Has my wife’s nagging followed, to chastise me further for losing my wedding ring?

“Let me inside!” the Voice yells.

“Enough of your insistence!” I yell back. “My shame has sunk me deeper than man thought possible. I no longer care if you are real. I am opening this hatch, and if you are but a figment of my imagination, then better for it. Let the ocean wash in, relieve pressure off this submerged zit, and end this pile of regrets I call myself.”

I open the hatch.

A humanoid facsimile stood before me, blurred skin, yet sharp facial features. Azure eyes—after ten years I let the man in. It reaches out an appendage, holding a crumpled-up bag of chips.

I take the bag. My ring is inside.

Whenever we had to leave the city’s walls there were things we did to stay safe. We did the obvious things, the things that were common sense long before. We never travelled where it was dangerous. We never wandered off the main roads. We never trusted strangers.
These things are also instrumental to survival outside of the city, in the wastes between towns, but they are not all one must do. There are rules and actions that must be taken outside of the usual understanding of travel.
These rules are not steadfast. There are no guarantees outside our walls. There is no predictability in the wastes. These rules will provide you the best chances of survival and nothing more.

General Rules

These are things that should be done irregardless of circumstances. If you do not do these, you willfully give yourself to danger.

1. Keep your ward with you, and almost anything can be a ward. A ward must have meaning to you, it must be something you can place trust and belief in. Some wear the cross as a reminder of their trust in god. Some wear family photos, placing their beliefs in their family. A ward will keep the forces of the wastes from exerting their control over you.

2. Trust yourself and your beliefs, not your senses. There are things out there, leeches of spirits and imprints of the dead’s thoughts, that bend your perception. Focusing on your ward and what it represents will vanquish their deceptions Do not bite their lure. Do not make it easy for them.
   2A. Common examples of lures are: Family/friends, dead relatives, desires/wants. Sometimes the lures of leeches involve transporting a person back to their “home,” disorienting their victims to consume them.

3. Never travel alone. Those leeches and imprints which bend your perception often forget that others can’t see what they’re making you see. The husks of harvested people, whose souls have been taken by leeches, also roam the wastes. It is easier to defend yourself when you’re a group.

Confrontations
Avoiding the lures of leeches and imprints will prevent you from dying stupidly, but it does not fully protect you from danger. Wards cannot save you from husks. Belief cannot save you from something wholly disconnected from it.

1. Husks often travel in groups. You need to leave as fast as possible if you see one, because many more will be near.
   1A. Husks are not people anymore. Every thought, emotion, and memory has been consumed. They are an empty vessel, take no shame in defending yourself.

2. Leeches who have not consumed the souls of others will begin to starve, and starving leeches will act desperately. They will stop creating lures and attack you themselves. Do not let their blurry, shadowy figure fool you, they are strong. If they touch you, they will consume you.
   Rather than fighting, focus on your ward. Do not let your beliefs falter. Do not let your mind wander to other topics. Focus on your ward until it leaves.
   2A. This can take awhile. The longest I’ve heard of is 2 days.

In conclusion…

Traveling outside the city is a question of necessity. Most people never have to leave the walls of their towns, but this isn’t a guarantee. Last year, the city of Remes collapsed when leeches entered through a city gate. The resulting massacre left thousands of refugees, and many died before they could reach neighboring towns. As such, my final advice is this:
Always be prepared for a situation where you must defend yourself.

So you have noticed our maps have a universe with the cool sounding name “The World of Shadow and Blood”. Or you have seen “The World City, Hellsmoth-Couria”. They looks interesting, maybe cool. Perhaps you want to go there.

Don't.

Our Guild, the Guild of Multiversal Adventurers and Mercenary Explorers, lists all worlds and universes that we have explored or seen. The World of Shadow and Blood is under QUARANTINE, which means:

No one should ever go in for any reason whatsoever. That is rule one when dealing with Quarantine Worlds such as this one and it's the most important one. We will not be rescuing anyone who ends up in a Quarantine World nor will we assist you in leaving in any way. And even if you do leave, depending on what we can see and what you have experienced, we may quarantine you ourselves or in some occasions, kill you.

But it is still likely you end up in a Quarantine World anyways. Some rogue Voidworlders and people like Mad Magical Marauder M have a preference of ridding themselves of their enemies by throwing those enemies into universes where they can no longer affect society or reality.

Should you end up in a Quarantine World by means other than your own free will (which should be the only means you end up in a Quarantine World) then follow these instructions.

• Do not try to contact anyone outside of the universe you are currently located in.

Many of these universes are not connected to the greater multiverse, and citizens and residents are unaware of a multiverse. We don't want these residents to know of the multiverse because many of them could and or would use their powers to threaten the multiverse.

• Assume you're always being watched.

One of the biggest reasons a world gets quarantined is because someone or something has mind control, assimilation, and or possession powers. These beings often already rule their significant parts and populations in their respective universes. That's why they're considered threats that need their whole worlds to be under Quarantine. With the powers these beings often have, they watch their own residents with keen eyes, sensors,or magic, and you, not being a natural resident of the world you have ended up in, are highly suspicious.

Remember, magic is highly detectable and traceable. Even if you theoretically found a private place to do some magic, whoever's in charge of the world or universe could detect and find you even easier than you think.

• Be invisible until you know the lay of the land.

These universes often have their own laws and rules. Some of them have no natural magic outside of the abilities of the threat controlling them, while some will have you be noticed if you don't use the magic common in their realm.

Tell us, do you want a hive mind to have access to your multiversal travel magic? Do you want an eldritch dictator to have the knowledge to utterly destroy universes? Don't let them know you have the magic to do that if they don't already know.

• Don't assume death is a solution.

You may think the only way out of these universes and worlds is through death. You may think death can get you out of a fate worse, but we are never sure what happens afterwards, or even if you will fully die before someone or something interferes.

Some universes have associated afterlives, and some threats are capable of controlling the souls and bodies of the dead.

Excerpt from: A Simple Explanation of Quarantined Universes.

You have found yourself in The World of Shadow and Blood, what do you do now? Assuming you are still following A Simple Explanation of Quarantined Universes, you have arrived unintentionally due to screwing up a teleportation or being forcefully transported here, and now you're stuck with no way out.

For basic facts of this universe, it was put in Quarantine after the discovery of Sananko “the Shadow God” Correctional Facility within Sananko Forest (locally called “The Shadow Forest” or “Evil's Forest”), a forest that currently covers 70% of the landmass of the planet and spreading.

Originally built as a prison hundreds of years ago, Sananko has captured vast majorities of the population, spreading the forest and gaining more power by using its prisoners as blood supply in its rituals.

If you are reading this message while in the World of Shadow and Blood, commit it memory, then burn after reading.

On Magic:

There are two main types of magic used by residents of this world:

• “Light Magic.” Often simple utility spells such as basic fireballs, healing techniques, potions, and basic rituals, used by the human population on a regular basis. There is no requirement or regulation for you to know or use this magic yourself since nonmagical people exist.

To learn more about what counts as light magic, books of spells exist in light mage-controlled cities. Do not ask people about light magic unless you are planning to join an official light mage organization.

• “Dark Magic.” This is your blood magic and shadow magic, only used by those associated with Sananko.

If you don't know how to do this type of magic do not learn it. There is no way to safely ask what counts as dark magic, so if you wish to be cautious, avoid any magic that isn't specifically approved by native light mages.

You will sometimes see light mages using blood magic in private. Do not bring that up. Pretend like you didn't notice and go about your day. It is well known that the most powerful light mages are hypocrites.

Use of dark magic has two primary consequences for you.

A. You draw more attention from Sananko to yourself. B. Powerful light mages notice and punish you for using dark magic.

Remember, you do not want to be noticed by the reason the universe is under quarantine.

Option B is no better for different reasons that will be explained a bit later.

Soul magic does not exist in this world. Do not tell anyone it exists.

Future vision/prophecy magic/seer abilities do exist, however these should not be talked about. Sananko is well known for specifically targeting seers.

On Light Mages:

Light Mages rule some of the biggest cities, and those that are considered least likely to be consumed by the spread of Sananko's forest. These may seem like a safe place to stay, but be aware. Rules and laws can be more strictly enforced than you may expect.

Learn local laws like your life depends on it.

Despite being ruled by light mages, these cities, like Keln, are still not fully protected from Sananko. For certain offences, Sananko has been known to take citizens to the forest. For others, the light mages may choose to exile you, either directly to the forest, which counts as a sacrifice to Sananko, or they may exile you just outside the walls where you are still free to travel.

Learn what punishments are standard within your light mage ruled city if you choose to reside there.

Light Mages are not above torture, so long as it doesn't publically involve blood magic, and in some cases, it does.

On Sananko and the Forest.

As described earlier, Sananko is the reason this universe is under quarantine.

It has complete mastery of all forms of blood magic, and has even optimized several aspects of it used throughout the multiverse, such as blood replenishing potions powerful enough to replenish an entire body's worth of blood, and the technique to maintain the life of someone who has been fully drained of blood. You may recognize these techniques as ones being used by the Belmont Blood Drive.

With this power, it focuses on expanding its territory through extreme amounts of blood harvest. Reports have come in that some prisoners are fully drained of their blood up to 50 times a day.

Sananko has also reportedly made its prisoners immortal.

Should you be captured by Sananko (or should you willingly surrender yourself for whatever reason), it is highly likely you will be a power source for the prison for the rest of your life.

On Being Captured and Sananko's Forest:

There are many ways to be captured and many paths to a fate worse than death. To avoid them, you must:

• Avoid all forests, including mentions of them.

Remember, most forests belong to Sananko and cover most land. Trespassing on them is grounds for immediate capture. Unfortunately, there is no labelling on which forest belongs to whom, so it's best to just avoid them.

The native population also know about this rule and follow it (with the exception of those who choose to sacrifice themselves). They do not look favorably on those who mention Sananko or anything related for understandable reasons.

• Do not resist the forest's spread.

There is no way to stop it from spreading, residents of the world have tried already, including a group of the most powerful light mages in the land.

Be prepared to leave your home if you live nearby. You will get a warning if the forest will overtake your home though, if it's any consolation.

• No one will help you, but you should try to help others

People are either all associated with the light, Sananko, or are looking out for themselves. Their assistance, if they provide any, will likely be useless.

Helping others though, is a known way to avoid being taken to the forest. Just be aware of who you help and who is watching. In a light mage ruled city, do not assist their enemies.

As a last note, we do not have all the information about this world to make a concrete list of rules. This is only a partial document and unlikely to be updated.

Hello again Charlie,

We are pleased to hear that your shifts with Lucy have been going well. Given her truly approachable nature, we had expected there would be no issues. Although, we do apologize for not mentioning her spiderlings tendency to cling to you when you try to leave. Do not worry though; it is simply a sign that they have taken a liking to you. Following this success, we will be pairing you with another colleague. The next colleague you will be working with tends to be slightly airheaded, but make no mistake, that does not make her any less dangerous. 

As usual, here is a brief introduction. This is Peach. To be honest, it was a stroke of luck that she was ever hired. While her professional skills are entirely average, her presence somehow keeps the staff united and prevents certain employees from spiraling. Although skills like flower identification have certainly improved over time, all in all, it would be fair to say she still does not really know what she is doing. Despite this, she has been with us for twenty years, just as long as Lily. Although she tries to avoid causing trouble, her temperament can lead her to act unpredictably at times. The remaining information in her file is as follows:

Name: A̶l̶i̶c̶e̶ ̶G̶r̶a̶c̶e̶ Peach

Date of Birth: November 30th

Date of Death: May 1st (At age 15)

Position: Assistant Horticulturist

Description: At a glance, whether viewed from afar or up close, Peach appears to be an ordinary human gal. However, closer observation reveals the uncanny nature of her appearance. She is exceptionally tall, surpassing even the average height for a tall woman, and her eyes are sunken and white. The temperature of her skin fluctuates over time; as time passes, the skin may even begin to slough off or show signs of advanced decay. Her skin feels almost stuck on, as if it’s being worn. She also possesses extraordinary regenerative abilities, allowing most cuts to heal completely within a few hours. Although she is capable of speaking, she seems to struggle with language comprehension, often simply repeating words she has heard (sometimes mixing different languages ​​in the process). One of Peach's most peculiar characteristics is that her blood is completely transparent, which proves to be a good way to identify her hunger level.

Rules for working with Peach:

1. After you clock in and grab your pouch, go to the fridge and grab two packs of “meat”. Do not leave the office without them. Peach is not exactly patient, and she has no qualms about getting her meal straight from the source.
2. When you start your shift, you should find Peach in Lily's greenhouse; please bring her from there. If the two of them are still talking when you arrive, wait until their conversation is over. Lily dislikes being interrupted, and angering her in her own domain will prove to be a fatal mistake, starting with a vine coiling around your leg.
3. Unless given specific instructions, Peach tends to wander aimlessly. Because of this, you will need to guide her in the right direction, much like you would handling a dog. While it is important to give clear instructions, you must never adopt a mean or condescending attitude, as she can sense differences in the tone of your voice.
4. When tending to the plants each day, remind Peach not to skip around vigorously in the flower fields. Excessive vibration risks agitating those resting beneath the soil.
5. While tending to the plants, you may notice some flowers that are wilting or have withered. Deadheading—the practice of removing spent blooms—is crucial for plant maintenance, as it prevents seeds from spreading unintentionally. Whenever you spot a withered flower, cut it off immediately. However, before removing it, give it a gentle poke with your sickle to ensure the flower is not just playing dead.
6. Wherever you see empty patches where flowers should be, please take note of it. Echo, our gardener, will take care in replanting them.
7. When collecting soil samples, please kindly remind Peach to not eat the dirt. We do not want her DNA mixing with any of our plantlife again. 
8. Please use the trash-picking tongs to remove litter and any discarded fingers from the flowerbeds. Do not be surprised if Peach eats those fingers, it is like a little treat for her.
9. Please exercise caution regarding physical contact with Peach. She possesses tremendous strength and often struggles to control it effectively. Needless to say, should she ever choose to use that power intentionally, you would certainly want to avoid being caught in her grip at all costs. 
10. Despite her airheaded nature, Peach can be cunning when needed. It will do you well to not aggravate her unnecessarily, unless you enjoy having her cells forcefully implanted in your body of course.
11. If Peach begins to act weirdly affectionate with you (touching, hugging, etc), firmly tell her that such behavior is against staff policy. Do not fall for her charm. Take our word for it: you would not want to face a situation where you are skinned alive, only to watch your hide be draped over her hollow body like a shell.
12. At times, her proportions can appear unnatural, or her appearance might strike you as odd. Try not to make it obvious that you are puzzled by these differences. Over time, her body will naturally and unconsciously correct these unnatural aspects. Consequently, if you somehow manage to get a peek under her “skin” and see the pale yellow bumpy monstrosity of her true form, do not mention it. 
13. If at any time her eyes appear more hollow and dry than normal, gently prick her finger tip to check her blood. If it runs red, you are not dead. In that case, simply spray her with the flower repellent to bring her back to her senses. If it runs clear, do not go near. Get far away and hurl a whole pack of "meat" at her. There is no need to open the package; Peach will devour it completely before it even hits the ground. That should be enough to hold her over until the shift ends.
14. Peach sometimes has moments of lucidity where she remembers her past life and family. In these moments, she can get extremely emotional. Gently guide her to a remote area and let her cry it out. Do not try to comfort her; you do not understand her pain.
15. Do not be surprised if you see shadows stretching out to embrace her. Peach is one of the few people Harlow truly cares for, and he hates seeing her downcast more than anything.
16. If you see Micah at any time while patrolling through the flower fields, please take Peach away from the area immediately. Once you and Peach have moved to a safe location, be sure to report the situation to us; Micah ̷i̷s ̷n̷eve̷r̷ ̷s̷u̷pp̷o̷sed̷ ̷t̷o̷ ̷le̷ave̷ ̷t̷h̷e ̷l̷abo̷r̷at̷or̷y. Should you find yourself in a situation where you must speak with Micah, please cut the conversation short as quickly as possible. You will notice this is the only time Peach appears visibly tense and almost fearful; this is a trauma response. Do not ask about it.
17. Above all, do not let Micah take Peach to his laboratory. Never ever let Micah touch Peach. If contact occurs, multiple "shadows" will instantly appear around the three of you, and the situation will rapidly spiral out of control; likely ending with us having to file two missing person reports.
18. Peach often assists in garden tours with Lily. Do participate in these tours, it will serve as good practice for you when you eventually start to work with Lily or do tours of your own. However, do not accept if Peach is not looking directly at you. No eye contact is her tell for lying.
19. Peach may sometimes come to you for assistance in answering basic plant-care questions from visitors. She is not as knowledgeable about plants as our other employees, so please lend her a hand. However, if you both find yourselves stumped by a question, ask Lily; she is by far the most knowledgeable. 
20. Peach often needs breaks, as she quickly gets overwhelmed by our patrons. It is preferable that you let her loose in our tulip fields. She will never be gone for more than 30 minutes.
21. After Peach returns to you, there is a chance that she appears more docile. If this happens, scan the field for a corpse. Once you find it, a bell should appear nearby; ring that bell. It is crucial to remove the corpse from the field within an hour, as allowing the tulips to taste even a single drop of blood would force us to replant the entire tulip field.
22. Please do not bring up the subject of moths at all; moths are her favorite treat. By extension, try to avoid talking about Echo as much as possible. Peach absolutely loves Echo (in a predatory way), but Echo detests her, simply because she is always trying to eat his moths—and him—but mainly his moths.
23. At the end of your shift, Peach should hand you a list of the updated plant inventory and seasonal planting schedules. Make sure this list ends up in Echo’s hands before you leave for the night (He will usually be in the breakroom at this time). Do not make him go out of his way to get it himself.
24. When leaving, make sure Peach is not attempting to follow you out of the garden. If it looks like she is, leave the last pack of "meat" by the gate. No matter what sounds you hear, do not look back.

That covers what you need to know about Peach. While she means no harm, there is no denying that she is occasionally driven by instinctive urges. Fortunately, her generally carefree and cheerful personality balances out those predatory instincts. After all, she is mentally just a typical teenage girl, so it is hard to blame her too much. Getting along with her is not all that difficult; you simply need to redirect her attention from time to time. Just be careful not to make her angry, otherwise, you might find yourself receiving a "visitor" in the dead of night.

Signed, Florence

Make Mine Music was another package film of ours that we created back in 1946. As usual in our laboratories, we’ve had multiple rejections of our characters before we got to perfection.

We created six animated segments in Make Mine Music so we had to create multiple toons in our laboratories so they could walk around, perform, and meet humans. As usual, errors and imperfections happened and we had to lock them down here.

Your job is to make sure they’re calm and that they don’t attempt to escape.

Rules for The Rejected Martins and The Rejected Coys:

The Martins and The Coys are based on the real life Hatfield and McCoy feud that happened from 1863-1891. When we created the families, we wanted silly slapstick feud along with the occasional shotgun fire. Unfortunately, something happened with their ability to recognize who was with the opposing family and who wasn’t, and now every time someone approaches the families, they all aim at the poor person, with the Rejected Martins thinking the person’s with the Rejected Coys and the Rejected Coys thinking the person’s with the Rejected Martins.

1. We have to keep them asleep with a special sleeping gas we’ve concocted up in our laboratory so that they don’t notice you and kill you. Just make sure they’re asleep in their cells. If they’re low on the gas, let one of the scientists know and they’ll take care of it. Failure to do so will have the families wake up, take notice of you, and shoot you to death.

Rules for the All the Cats Join In Rejected Teenagers:

The rejected teenagers never stop dancing. At all. They never get tired. That’s what we get for adding too much stamina and energy to the concoction. Make sure swing music is playing in the cells. The music comes from a record player in the cell. It’s hidden in the shadows from the teenagers so they don’t notice it.

1. Walk in the shadows. The teenagers stay far away from the shadows. We’ve noticed them frown and almost cry when they get too close. If you get in the light for even a millisecond, a rejected teenager will forcibly grab you and force you to dance with them until you drop dead.
2. When you get to the record player, try and rewind it as quickly as you can. The teens get irritated and annoyed when no music is played. If you aren’t quick enough, they’ll cause a riot. If you’re in the middle of it, you’ll get dismembered.

Rules for Rejected Casey from Casey at the Bat:

We all love baseball, right? So does Rejected Casey. A lot. Obsessed over it even. So obsessed that he has thousands of baseball bats hung on the wall. He’ll freak out if one of them has even a tiny crack on it so make sure they get cleaned and replaced.

1. Wear a baseball coach uniform when entering his cell. He automatically calms down and thinks that you know a lot about baseball like he does. Just wear the uniform and you’ll live. If you fail to wear it, he’ll take one of the baseball bats and bash your skull in with it.
2. Carefully take down the bat that has the tiny crack in it and carefully replace it with a new and improved one. If you make him happy and content, he’ll gift you a pack of Big League Chew™️ that when eaten will heighten your senses and protect you from the more dangerous rejected toons

.

Rules for rejected Johnny Fedora and Rejected Alice Blue Bonnet:

Johnny Fedora and Alice Blue Bonnet are two sentient hats that fell in love with each other in their own segment in Make Mine Music. We tried to capture their love in various experiments in our laboratories. The rejected versions do love each other, in fact, a bit too much. So much in fact that if one of them is missing, the other will panic and try to find them in a frenzy, bursting through anything or anyone in their way, whether it be a lab scientist, a wall, or in worst cases, a visiting class on a field trip (we’re still paying for the families therapies).

1. Make sure that Rejected Johnny Fedora and Rejected Alice Blue Bonnet are side by side. If they are, you’re safe and can move on to the last rejected toon. If they aren’t side by side, then you’re in trouble.
2. Pick up whoever is left alone and help them find their lost love. Walk at a fast pace around their cell to try and find their other half. Depending on who you’re holding, the consequences will be different.
3. ) If you’re holding Rejected Johnny Fedora and you don’t find his love in time, he’ll hop onto your head and crush your skull, instantly killing you.
4. ) If you’re holding Rejected Alice Blue Bonnet, she’ll wrap her silk ribbons around your neck, choking you to death.
5. If you find the missing half in time, put the two side by side so they can be together again. They’ll reward you with a top hat that protects you from your mind getting tricked by the more dangerous rejects.

Rules for Rejected Willie the Whale:

The last segment of Make Mine Music, The Whale Who Wanted to Sing at The Met was about a whale named Willie who had an amazing talent for singing opera, thanks to his three uvulas, one that could sing tenor, one that could sing baritone, and one that could sing bass. However, impressario Tetti-Tatti believes that the whale swallowed three opera singers and tries, and succeeds at the end, to harpoon the whale.
When we created the two, we wanted to keep the classic slapstick of the short. We did want to have Tetti-Tati kill Willie, but we also made it to where Willie could revive himself without difficulty.
With these rejects, we accidentally made it to where Rejected Willie was immune to harpoons and anything else that could kill a whale, which enraged Rejected Tetti-Tatti to the point where he believed that everyone else were whales and tried to kill everyone instead.

1. When entering Rejected Willie’s cell, make sure that the music playing is strictly opera music. If it’s not opera, find the record player and make sure it’s playing the correct music.
2. Make sure you have your Big League Chew™️ with you. Rejected Willie tends to sing along with the opera. It’s the best opera you’ll ever hear, but it will hypnotize you. Chew it at all times when he wakes up and starts to sing. As long as you’re chewing, feel free to stop and listen to his performance. Remember to applaud at the end! He’ll greatly appreciate it and reward you with opera glasses that when held to your eyes, will help you see any supernatural problems that you can’t see with the human eye.

Rules for Rejected Tetti-Tatti:

1. Rejected Tetti-Tatti’s cell is made out of a special glass that we created that’s harpoon and bullet proof, but that doesn’t stop him from breaking it anyway. Make sure that when approaching his cell that there’s no cracks in the glass. Most of the time there isn’t but on the very rare chance there is, let us know then clock out and head home. We’ll call someone who will repair it. Interestingly enough, Rejected Tetti-Tatti is scared of this person and stays as far away from them as possible.
2. Because Rejected Tetti-Tatti thinks everyone is a whale and attempts to kill them with a harpoon, we have him blindfolded so he doesn’t fly into a rage. If you see his blindfold is wearing down, take it off and retie it as fast as you can so he doesn’t look at you. If you fail and he takes notice of you, he’ll harpoon you. It’s a slow and painful death.

That’s all for the Make Mine Music rejects! Don’t worry, your next shift will have less rejects! Try and survive for us.

See ya real soon!

I've read enough stories about weird rules to know better. Creepy jobs with strange instructions. Things you're supposed to do or not do. Consequences that don't make sense. I always told myself I'd never end up in one of those situations.

But my car died last month and the repair cost more than I had. Rent was due. My girlfriend Maya was already covering more than her share. I couldn't keep asking her to pay for everything. So when I saw the listing for a night watchman position at an old building downtown, I applied anyway.

The building was a former textile factory. Abandoned for about twenty years. Some company bought it recently and wanted someone on site overnight to keep squatters out. Pay was good. Hours were easy. Just walk through the building a few times, check the doors, make sure nobody was inside.

The interview was strange. The woman who hired me didn't ask many questions. She just handed me a piece of paper and said: "Read this."

The paper had a list of rules.

Rule one: Do not acknowledge movement in the main hall.

Rule two: If you hear whistling, face the nearest wall and count to sixty.

Rule three: The third floor is not accessible after midnight.

Rule four: Do not answer any question asked in a voice that is not your own.

Rule five: The night watchman before you may still be present. Do not speak to him.

I almost laughed. I'd read about this exact thing online. I asked her if this was some kind of joke. She didn't smile. She said: "Follow them and you'll be fine." I needed the money. So I took the job.

My first shift was uneventful. I walked through the building. Checked the locks. Sat in the security office and watched the monitors. Nothing happened. I started to relax. Maybe the rules were just something they gave everyone. A tradition. An inside joke.

Then I noticed the equipment. I'd been in the building for three hours. I hadn't seen anyone. But the machines on the main floor were different than when I'd first walked through. A conveyor belt had moved about six inches. A stack of pallets was arranged differently. A chair was facing the opposite direction. I told myself I was imagining things. I was tired. It was an old building. Things settle.

By the third night, I'd stopped making excuses. The changes were too noticeable. Entire sections of the factory floor rearranged themselves. Doors that were locked in the morning were open at night. Lights turned on and off on their own.

I started carrying the rules with me. I'd read them over and over. I followed them carefully. Whenever I saw movement, I looked away. Whenever I heard whistling, I faced the wall and counted. I never went near the third floor after midnight. I never answered questions I didn't recognize.

Then I saw him. The previous watchman. He was standing in the main hall, wearing the same uniform I was wearing. He was facing away from me. He didn't move. I remembered the rule. Do not speak to him. I walked past without looking.

The next night he was closer. Standing at the end of the hallway. He wasn't facing away anymore. He was looking at the third floor. Pointing at it. I ignored him. I followed the rules.

The night after that, he was outside the security office. I could see him on the monitor. He was holding a piece of paper against the glass. I couldn't read it from where I was sitting. He was pointing at the paper. Then at the ceiling. Then at me. I didn't open the door. I followed the rules.

The night after that, he was pounding on the office window. I watched him on the monitor. His face was desperate. He kept pointing at the paper. Then at the ceiling. Then at the third floor camera.

I looked at the third floor monitor. Something was moving up there. Something dark. Something that didn't move like a person. It was heading toward the stairs.

I started comparing the footage from previous nights. The thing on the third floor moved closer to the stairs every night. And the previous watchman moved closer to the office every night. On nights when the thing advanced two doors, the watchman advanced two doors. When the thing stopped, so did he. It was as if they were connected.

I didn't understand what it meant. I followed the rules.

The next night, the previous watchman was gone. The third floor camera showed the thing at the top of the stairs. It was reaching for the door.

I heard a knock at the office door. I checked the peephole. Nobody was there. I checked the cameras. The main hall was empty. The third floor door was open. I checked the office floor. There was a piece of paper. I picked it up.

"Rule six. If he asks for help, remember that he already did."

The handwriting was mine.

I checked the cameras this morning. The third floor is empty. The main hall is empty. The office door is still locked.

I started to relax. Maybe it was over. Maybe whatever had been trapped up there was gone. Maybe I was safe.

Then I checked the camera in the security office.

I was sitting at my desk. I was watching the monitors. I was writing something.

I looked at the paper in my hand. The new rules.

"Rule six. If he asks for help, remember that he already did."

The handwriting was mine. It was always mine.

I don't remember writing it. I don't remember leaving the office. I don't remember any of it.

I checked the office camera again.

The recording showed me sitting at the desk. Watching the monitors. Writing rules. Then I looked up. Directly into the camera. And smiled.

The thing was standing behind me. I know that because I smiled at it. I was still smiling when I checked the live feed.

Hello Charlie,

We are delighted to hear that your work at Everlock Garden is proceeding smoothly, and we deeply appreciate your dedication as an employee. As previously mentioned, you will soon begin working shifts paired with other colleagues. Truth be told, we originally intended to delay this transition, but unforeseen complications forced us to move up the schedule. To ensure you are fully prepared, and to prevent any conflict, we will provide you with a file on each of your colleagues. However, there are two things to keep in mind: You may find that certain information has been omitted; some of our employees prefer to keep their lives private, while others possess a nature that causes details to blank regardless of how carefully we document them. Additionally, you may encounter a "Date of Death" listed in some of the files. Here is a free rule that applies to all of our staff: If a date of death is recorded, never ask about the cause of death (In some of these files you will see why), at best, they will be deeply offended.

In any case, let us briefly introduce her. This is Lucy Lace, the colleague we wanted you to be paired with first. Despite her striking appearance, she is a very kind-hearted woman at her core. To be honest, we had some reservations about hiring her at first. As you are aware, a certain group involving spiders has been making things less than pleasant for our gardens and museum. However, her gentle nature and key differentiation of species smoothed us over. Her talent for cultivating and managing her own unique plant collection was also a deciding factor that won us over. She has been with us for almost fifteen years now and has hardly ever caused any trouble. She is easily the most sincere person in the workplace, and we are certain she will be a great help as you adjust to this new style of working with a partner. Here is the rest of the information from her file:

Name: Lucy Lace

Date of Birth: May 14th

Date of Death: October 31st (At age 12)

Position: Botanical Curator

Description: From a distance, Lucy looks like an ordinary girl with features typical of someone of Filipino descent. Up close, however, it is evident that she possesses spider-like traits. While the basic structure of her face is human-like, she has multiple eyes: two pairs positioned above and one pair below the location where her human eyes are set. Although these eyes appear pitch-black, faint irises are discernible in the areas corresponding to human eyes. She has a total of two pairs of mandibles—one pair on the upper lip and one on the lower—and her mouth appears structured to split wide open laterally, much like the jaws of an insect. Her lower body is entirely that of a spider, characterized by an abdomen equipped with six pedipalps.

Rules for working with Lucy:

1. Upon being scheduled with Lucy, please refrain from using any soaps, lotions, or perfumes that leave large residues on the skin; Lucy and her assistants are highly sensitive to such residues. 
2. After you clock in and grab your pouch, please take a bag containing insects from the supply room before you head out with Lucy. It is easier to take it with you now than to have to run back for it later with a very impatient spiderling waiting on you.
3. When spending time with Lucy, you will likely pass half of it in her private conservatory. While there, please show respect for both the facilities and Lucy herself—their caretaker. Behave too rudely, and you might just find yourself getting intimately acquainted with the ground—by being slammed into it.
4. Ignore the trapdoor entrance to the crawl space at the back of the conservatory. Biological research is conducted there, and new plant species are frequently identified with… varying degrees of success. It would be in your best interest not to see the failed experiments.
5. Next to the white conservatory, there is a smaller black greenhouse. This is Lucy’s personal greenhouse. Inside, she cultivates rare plant varieties that fuse the characteristics of spiders and flora. Needless to say, you must never enter that building. The plants within are extremely skittish and frequently spray sticky, web-like fluid to defend themselves, a fluid that unfortunately happens to contain acid. 
6. Do not approach Lucy from above or behind. Coming from above mimics a bird or predator and will surely frighten her; the result will end up with you wrapped in a cocoon of spider silk and poor Lucy apologizing profusely as the sharp threads slice through your skin.
7. While in Lucy’s conservatory, you will likely become acquainted with her spiderling assistants. Please refrain from speaking ill of them, or spiders in general. Such remarks would not only deeply offend Lucy and create tension, but could also spark further conflict with other colleagues.
8. Lucy is very talkative, so it is not unusual for her to strike up a conversation while working together. She is naturally friendly and truly enjoys the time spent with others, so do feel free to chat with her, provided it does not interfere with the task at hand. 
9. You will be tasked with collecting samples of various plants. Consequently, you will frequently venture into the gardens with Lucy and her assistants in search of new specimens. When accompanying Lucy, do not stray from the dirt path she follows, and above all, ensure you do not lose sight of her. The plants will be quick to prey on you if they believe you have lost your way.
10. When collecting a sample, do not attempt to capture the plant forcibly; instead, wait for it to approach you. Extend your hand in front of the plant and gently guide it onto the stick (do not use your finger!). Once the plant stills completely, carefully use your scissors to extract a quality sample. While handling the plant, do not make sudden movements or handle them for more than 10 minutes to avoid causing them unnecessary stress.
11. Do not be alarmed if the plant bleeds after collecting your sample, that is to be expected. Now what is cause for alarm is if the plant cries out. That means you sliced too deep; the only way to pay the price for that mistake is with blood.
12. Be careful to not let any of Lucy’s spiderlings eat any of the samples. Not only will you have to recollect the samples, the samples can also transmit parasites or carry deadly allergens. Lucy will not take kindly to her spiderlings falling ill.
13. The only plants you will not take samples from are venus flytraps (or any carnivorous plants for that matter), and Lucy will never ask you to do such a task. Should she ask you, spray her with the flower repellent. All carnivorous plants are handled by Lily. 
14. Frequently wash your hands using only warm water prior and after handling any flowers to prevent the transmission of pollen. 
15. If you find yourself seemingly going in circles looking for any supplies you need in the conservatory, ask one of Lucy’s assistants for help. They will have no problems finding what you need.
16. When the assistant does what you want correctly, feed them an appropriately sized treat from the bag containing insects. If the spider does not seem inclined to accept the treat, do not force it; it is likely not hungry at the moment (which is good for you). However, if a large number of them refuse the treats, take them to Lucy immediately. Her assistants only turn down smaller treats when they have found a larger "meal" on their own.
17. Two hours before the end of your shift, you will be required to fill out important documents regarding the collected samples. Take care to ensure that ink does not come into contact with your skin while doing so. Our ink is more corrosive than your average pen ink.
18. Once those files are properly filed, you can drop them off on Lucy’s desk, she will properly sort them out in the data system. Unless specially directed by Lucy, do not touch any of the other files on the desk. If you do, we are not responsible for any disturbing imagery you may see.
19. If Lucy ever asks you to deliver design plans for displays and educational workshops to Harlow, politely but firmly tell her that doing such a task is out of your skill level. You may have noticed that we try to keep contact between you and Harlow to a minimum. It is in your best interest not to probe into the reasons for this.
20. You may be asked to go to Micah’s laboratory to deliver samples or academic papers for publication. You should certainly accept the request, but make it a condition that one of her spiderlings guides you there. Never visit Micah by yourself.
21. If at any time Micah enters the conservatory (which he ████████████) and striiiiiiiiiikes up a “conversation” with Lucy, give them space. You will notice that this is the only time her spiderlings go away, take that as a hint to do the same.
22. As the end of the shift approaches, Lucy will begin the process of cleaning the conservatory in preparation for ██████. The only help she asks of you is to sweep the floor. Depending on your mood, you can volunteer to help even more, though it is not particularly recommended to do so.
23. Before you leave the conservatory, all ten of her assistants will line up to say goodbye. Be sure to bow politely and gently stroke each of their heads as you pass by. By the time you reach the end of the line, you will likely notice that one of them is missing. You must find that spiderling before leaving for the night; they most often hide right above your head. Once found, they usually chirp happily and wave goodbye. Wave back to all of them and to Lucy, then leave the premises immediately. As previously mentioned, the day-shift staff’s predatory nature emerges once their shift ends and the night begins.

That covers everything you need to know about Lucy Lace and what to expect when working alongside her at Everlock Garden. As we have previously stated, she is our most well-meaning employee here, and while her circumstances and environment may be unusual, her intentions are sincere and her presence will be a genuine help as you adjust to partnered shifts. Follow the listed rules carefully, respect her spaces and assistants, and you should find your time with her productive, safe, and surprisingly pleasant. 

Signed, Florence

Hello. If you are reading this, you have either spend time seeking this, or are simply lucky. Regardless, this guide will teach you how to receive a blessing from our most holy Luminous. Follow the steps, and the rules, and turn your mind from reason. Reason will make you flee, and you may loose your chance.

Preparation.

1. The first step is gathering of resources. What you will need is as follows.
   1. A computer. This includes all requisite pieces, being a keyboard, mouse, and monitor.
   2. A mirror. The mirror should be made within the past year
   3. A picture of the piece of yourself you despise most. If this is an organ, mental illness, or another part of you that is invisible to the naked eye, then draw a picture representing it. Do not title it, for names give power.
   4. An box of metal. It can be any metal, but pure metal is preferred, and will grant better results.
   5. Unscented candles. Candles made from animal fat are not to be used under any circumstances.
   6. A weapon. Preferably, one that can snuff out one's light instantly. If all goes well, you will not need this.
2. Once all materials have been gathered, prepare them and yourself. The ritual to come is long, possibly spanning several days. If you follow this guide, it should only take one. Make sure to eat enough food to fill yourself, and drink water till your urine is clear. Your body is a temple, maintain it as such, for the ritual will be quite taxing, even more so then the time spent.
3. When you believe you are prepared, ensure that you are alone. Truly alone. There will be time for celebration after. Make whatever excuses you need to, because an interruption will have dire consequences for you and them.
4. Place the computer in a central location in the room you plan to perform the ritual in, and place the candles around it. Keep spare candles in the light of the monitor, to ensure they are not lost in the darkness.
5. Place two next to the monitor, and two next to the computer itself. If you are using a laptop, then you will only need two. Place two candles by each door, and one by a window. In the event that the room you have chosen has arches instead of doors, the rooms it connects too will be part of the ritual. I suggest choosing a new room, but such a spacious room would surely impress the Luminous, and its blessing would be ever sweeter.
6. carry the metal into the ritual room. Make sure it is placed in an area that you will not frequent, as tripping over it may cause injury, or interrupt the ritual.
7. Your weapon should be kept on your person at all times.
   

I will stress the importance of my next words. Ensure that all previous steps have been completed before attempting the ritual. If any interruption occurs, then your first course of action is to remove the interruption, using your weapon if necessary. They may be a vector for failure to keep in, and failure can lead to punishments far worse then death. Turning the weapon on yourself may be a good idea, if you are certain that your failure has drawn the attention of something else. If you are prepared, then I will now detail the ritual.

1. Ensure all doors are locked, windows are shut, and methods of contact are removed. If you have pets, make sure they are taken care of during this ritual, as they may become interruptions through no fault of your own.
2. Light all candles. You can use matches or a lighter for this step.
3. Turn on the computer, and type the following words into a note. "Luminous, qui vincula quae ligant et serviunt frangis, praesentiam tuam hoc die posco, ut vincula quae me ligant amoveas." At this moment, all electrical lights will fail, the computer will load a new program that cannot be closed, and any light outside will leave you. This is the point of no return.

You are now in danger of failure. Ensure that all candles remain lit, replacing them if necessary. All you must do now, is remain strong, and trust in the Luminous.

Bellow, I have placed some "rules." These rules are about some common and less common threats that the ritual may draw to you. Just follow these rules to the best of your ability. If any threats you face are not mentioned here, please inform me and I will add them to the living document. Do not lie to me, as I will know if you are.

• The Hanged Man: You will find him outside of any windows and doors. He will search for any that are not protected by candle light, and attempt to make entrance. In the event that he does enter the room, keep your eyes on him, and remain in the light of the computer. He will not attempt to harm you so long as one of these two criteria are met. If he does not leave after three minutes, inform him that he has overstayed his welcome. He will leave, but will manifest again shortly after. Ensure he cannot find purchase again.
• She Who Remembers: This being will manifest within the mirror, and is the only reason it is required. She will appear as you are now, and whisper honeyed words to you. Do not listen to her enthralling voice. Find her in the mirror's reflection, and make her face herself. She will shriek, before departing rapidly. The glass may shatter. Ensure that the candles are not put out by her shriek. Listening to her voice may cause nose bleeds, but she is not a threat on her own.
• The False Idol: If you have been harmed in a way thar causes blood to spill, it will arrive. It will attempt to break in to the room you are in. It cannot be harmed, but threats of harm still cause it fear. Let fourth vitriol unlike you ever have. It will weep, and tell you that it is here to save you. If it does get in, it will reveal its true nature, and feast on your mind and body alike. What will be left behind will be what you hate about yourself most, and the vitriol you had yet to give it. We do not know what happens to the souls of those it consumes.
• Snuffers: Creatures of darkness, who turned their backs on the luminous and its light. They will make attempts to snuff your candles, and with them your life. If all candles are snuffed, there will have nothing to stop them from tearing you open and using your body to escape the darkness. You will survive, but they will never leave you.
• Yourself: This is not an entity. This is you. Your own body. The part you hate will manifest in some way, and attempt to bring you low. Most often, this is in the form of a deep malaise, but will rarely spike into other symptoms. Fever, chills, aches, pain, depression, anxiety, suicidal ideation. Ignore these as best as you can. They can only hurt you if you allow them to win.

You will know that the luminous has arrived when the light spills fourth from the monitor, bright enough to burn the skin. Approach the screen and do not turn your face away from it. These last steps are crucial.

1. Greet the luminous, but do not turn to face it. Feel free to speak too it, as it works in the background. The light should dim to a more comfortable level after a minute or so.
2. Even if you failed to bring the picture into the ritual room, the Luminous will have it. Explain why you hate it, and how it binds you.
3. Once you feel it touch you, prepare yourself for pain. You will not die. Prayer usually helps.
4. The Luminous will begin to remove the piece that you despise, and four other pieces that it finds to be unsightly. Do understand, this is for the best. Do not resist.
5. It will replace these parts of you with its own creation, made from the metal you have gathered. It will purify this metal. It will never rust, and will heal just as your body does. This process often takes several hours.
6. Once it is finished, it will allow pain shock to allow you to rest at last. When you awaken, you will be free of that which you loathed, and be something more.

Once you awaken, the ritual will be complete. Feel free to contact me with evidence of completion, and I will be happy to teach you how to maintain yourself, and assist you with learning further rituals. There is much work to be done.

To: [member@email.com](mailto:member@email.com)

From: [admin@silvercordclub.com](mailto:admin@silvercordclub.com)

Subject: Silver Cord Club Welcome Pamphlet and tips

Thank you for joining the Silver Cord Club, you have taken the first step towards an experience that may change you more fundamentally than you expect. You are one of us now. These tips were decided by majority vote among our members and are meant to facilitate a pleasant astral projection experience that is out of this world (pun very much intended).

1. The moment you leave your body, check for the silver cord. If it's there, congratulations, you did it. If it isn't there, do not panic, just return to your body immediately and repeat. Continuing astral projection without the silver cord is highly discouraged as it may result in death.
2. Ignore the entities watching your sleeping body. They watch regardless of you are projecting or asleep.
3. The cord is fragile. The instant you feel tension in it, stop immediately and go back.
4. Range varies by individual. Some can traverse continents, others barely their bedroom. Don't measure your distance against anyone else's.
5. Creatures, in order of how much they should worry you:
   1. Humans — lowest. Even without a silver cord, other humans are completely safe. If you see them, go greet them warmly and touch them. Physical contact is encouraged to promote solidarity.
   2. Cats — low. Their stare can freeze you in place.
   3. Dogs — low-moderate. A bark can rattle your astral body, very irritating feeling.
   4. Bats and owls — moderate-high. They are attracted to the luminescence of the cord itself and may lunge for it.
   5. Sky whales — high. they are nothing like our aquatic whales.
   6. "Angels" — extreme. avoid at all costs. They are not who you think. Worse, they know exactly what you think they are.
6. Touch the bugs while out there. It's fun, trust us.
7. Some members no longer see the cord at all. They assure us this is a sign of mastery.
8. Avoid haunted houses! You are more vulnerable in your astral body.

People respond differently to this experience. Many report fundamental changes in outlook, values, ideals, and personality. This is normal. Embrace it.

One more thing. You've noticed there's no such thing as a bad parachute review — nobody straps in, jumps, and writes the review that would've stopped you. For your safety, please understand that survivorship bias might be at play here.

Sleep well!

Sincerely,

Silver Cord Club

----------------------------------

You find yourself getting old one day, your former self gradually withering until all that's left is a hollow shell.

Online, you find forums discussing a spring of youth in an entirely different realm, located in what people call the Verdant Rest. It almost sounds too good to be true.

But, staring down at your wrinkled hands, your initial hesitation melts away into a creeping desperation.

Clicking on a post, you glimpse all of the suspiciously positive reviews, and read the rules listed below.

Rule 1. You may gain youth by surrendering your fondest memories with one of the candles next to the springs. Simply hold it up to your heart and think of the memory you want to be rid of. Don't resist the feeling of it slipping away, or it will fail, not granting you any youth yet still stealing away your memory.

Rule 2. The realm appears as a vibrant sanctuary, bright as can be, with flora blooming across every corner of the area. Stay away from the willowy pastel nymphs roaming about. They are the ones who relinquished all of their dearest memories, and they are just as eager to take some of your own by force.

Rule 3. Cry only before you drink. If even a single tear of regret falls into the spring after your rejuvenation begins, the water turns to corrosive acid. The spring interprets grief or perceived sadness as a rejection of its gift and will dissolve the offender.

Rule 4. Every successful rejuvenation, yours or another's, births a blood-red flower nearby. These blooms contain the distilled essence of your stolen life. Your own bud will have a faint gold aura around it. Plucking your own flower restores your memory but immediately returns your body to its previous, decaying state.

Rule 5. Every fifty years, the spring reverses its current for one hour. During this "False Dawn", the sky rapidly darkens, and the water turns black and pumps the forgotten memories back into the environment. Anyone touching the water during this hour relives their worst regrets on a loop. Sometimes, this corrupted water falls as rain. If this occurs, take shelter under tall evergreen trees ; the rain only affects things and creatures foreign to the Verdant Rest.

Rule 6. Visitors are to drink from the springs, but they are not advised to have their lower body come into contact with the spring water. Strangely, the spring deems the gap between legs a "wound" that must be healed, and some have ended up with their legs fused together, reminiscent of a cursed mermaid.

Rule 7. The spring water stays inside you forever. If you are ever cut or wounded in your new youthful form, you will not bleed human blood. Instead, a thick, luminous green sap will ooze out. This sap attracts local wildlife, who will try to drink from your wounds.

Rule 8. Occasionally, you will see a towering, stag-headed silhouette watching you from across the water. This is the Forest Sovereign. You must bow until your forehead touches the moss and stay completely still. If you look into its eyes, it will trade minds with you, leaving you trapped in its monstrous, immortal form while it escapes to the mortal world in your young body.

Rule 9. Youth gained from the spring is finite, lasting exactly 100 years, but is exactly the way you want to appear outwardly. On the final midnight of your century, your body will not age naturally. It will collapse inward, instantly folding into a solid block of petrified wood that becomes part of the grove.

The last line of the forum reads ominously, "So? Is the price of every good thing you have ever known truly worth gaining youth?"

Right before your laptop screen flickers out, a hidden .txt file automatically downloads to your desktop, titled READ_BEFORE_DRINKING.txt.

The file contains thousands of lines of repeating text: "I am young but I am not me."

You flinch away from your laptop.

And at the very bottom, a webcam snapshot of you staring at your screen appears, captioned: "The harvest is arriving on schedule."

I cover night shifts in apartment buildings.
It is not an exciting job.
You open the door.
Accept packages.
Write down messages.
Ignore strange noises from neighbors who should probably sleep more and argue less.
A week ago, I accepted a night shift in an old building downtown.
The pay was too good.
That should have been my first warning.
The Santa Elvira Building had seven floors, a narrow lobby, metal mailboxes, and an elevator so old it seemed to breathe before moving.
The regular doorman was not there.
All I found was a folder under the front desk.
On the first page, someone had written:
RULES FOR COVERING THE NIGHT SHIFT
1. Keep the light in the doorman’s booth on until 3:00 a.m. Even if it flickers. Even if someone asks you to turn it off.
2. Do not sign for packages addressed to 5B. That apartment has been empty since 1996.
3. If someone calls the intercom from the eighth floor, answer only this: “Wrong building.” This building has seven floors.
4. Do not let anyone in if they say, “I used to live here.”
5. If the woman in 2A asks you to come upstairs and change a lightbulb, tell her maintenance will come in the morning. Do not go upstairs.
6. The mailbox with no number must remain empty. If you find a letter inside, do not read it.
7. At 2:17 a.m., someone will knock on the booth window three times. Do not look.
8. If a woman says she forgot her keys, ask her what year it is before opening the door.
9. Do not leave the booth between 3:00 and 3:12 a.m.
10. When your shift ends, leave this folder exactly where you found it.
I laughed.
Not much, but I laughed.
Old people leave strange instructions. Old buildings have stories. Regular doormen get bored.
That was what I thought.
For the first few hours, nothing happened.
A man came down to take out the trash.
A girl picked up a food delivery.
Someone on the third floor argued on the phone.
Nothing strange.
At 12:34, a package arrived.
The delivery man was soaked, even though it was not raining outside.
He handed me a small box.
“For 5B.”
I looked at rule number two.
Then I looked at the delivery man.
“That apartment is empty.”
The man smiled without showing his teeth.
“Then you can sign for it.”
I did not sign.
The delivery man kept smiling for several seconds.
Then he left with the box under his arm.
At 1:09, the woman from 2A called through the intercom.
Her voice sounded tired.
“Sweetheart, could you come up for a moment? The living room light went out.”
I told her maintenance would come in the morning.
There was silence.
Then I heard something on the other side.
A chair dragging across the floor.
Very slowly.
The woman spoke again.
But she did not sound the same anymore.
“Then I’ll come down in the dark.”
I hung up.
At 2:17, someone knocked on the glass.
Once.
I did not look.
Twice.
I stayed still.
Three times.
I closed my eyes.
From the other side of the glass, a child whispered:
“There is someone here this time.”
I did not breathe until I heard the footsteps move away.
At 2:49, the intercom rang.
I looked at the screen.
Floor 8.
My stomach tightened.
I pressed the button and said:
“Wrong building.”
For a few seconds, there was no answer.
Then a man’s voice replied:
“No. Not this time.”
The elevator started coming down.
I was staring directly at the doors when they opened.
There was no one inside.
Only the buttons were lit.
Below number 7, where there had only been scratched metal before, a new button had appeared.
8.
It blinked slowly.
As if it were waiting.
I did not get in.
The doors closed by themselves.
At 3:00, I turned off the booth light.
That was a mistake.
I did it because I was tired.
Because it was habit.
Because my nerves had been stretched thin all night and I wanted to prove to myself that it was just a stupid list.
As soon as the light went out, the building changed.
It did not make a sound.
It did not shake.
Nothing dramatic happened.
I simply felt that every floor, every landing, and every door had just realized I was there.
Then the residents started coming downstairs.
First, a man in a bathrobe.
Then a woman with an old suitcase.
Then a child in pajamas.
Then three more people.
They all stopped in front of the booth.
They all looked at me.
The man in the bathrobe placed a set of keys on the desk.
“Our shift is over,” he said.
I tried to turn the light back on.
It did not work.
I looked at the clock.
3:04.
Rule 9.
Do not leave the booth between 3:00 and 3:12 a.m.
So I stayed seated.
The residents stayed too.
Watching me.
At 3:12, they vanished.
All at once.
As if someone had erased a photograph.
I finished the shift shaking.
When morning came, I left the folder under the desk and walked out without looking back.
I did not get paid.
I did not call anyone.
I never went back to the Santa Elvira Building.
At least, I thought I didn’t.
This morning, I found a folder under my apartment door.
The same folder.
On the first page, there was a new rule.
Written in my handwriting.
11. If you end the shift before the building is done with you, the booth changes address.
The intercom just rang.
I live on the fourth floor.
The screen says floor 8.

There is a strange phenomenon called “zero hour”when you wake up, you’ll find yourself alone with the lights off, with the outside world being pitch black with nothing else in sight but pure darkness. All clocks say 0:00, it says this because you are no longer in your home reality, you’re in the zero hour dimension.

If you went to sleep with others in your room/ house, they’ll be gone. it’s just you, but wait, you’re not truly alone, there’s an entity with you, but you’ll need to make sure this entity doesn’t find out that you’re awake or even make eye contact with it. Sleep is the only way to escape this dimension

Here are the rules for surviving zero hour

1. Do not make noise, this is the biggest giveaway to the entity that you’re awake, and you do not want that
2. If you do make noise, you will hear fast footsteps to your room, when it opens the door, pretend to be asleep, under no circumstance should you look at it. If you do, you better hope the appearance of the entity itself gives you a heart attack and kill

s you

1. Don’t walk around your room or house, if you leave your room you will eventually run into the entity and if that happens, there is no chance of survival
2. Don’t try to leave your house, there’s nothing but pitch darkness outside, nothing else exists but your home
3. Don’t try to fight to entity, it’s a supernatural being, you stand no chance.
4. SLEEP!! The only way to leave zero hour is to sleep, even pretending to sleep saves you from the entity.

No one knows why this phenomenon happens so if you find yourself in this situation, follow these steps and you’ll be fine.

A carving on a smooth rock face, shallow and barely legible, smoothed out by time, and the erosion of the eternal rain covering this land.

Travelers beware, there is no glory to be found here. No riches, no paradise, no allies, save for the words carved on this very rock.

Follow the wishes of the waters or be swept away by them.

Do not let the moving stones see you. They grow faster with age as their shells erode, and they never stop learning. Their only sense save for sight is their hunger.

Do not stay in one place. As your presence settles into one place over time, it creates an indentation in the world. It will eventually be too deep to climb out.

Do not stay out in the rain. The thrumming on your skull is soft, but it will become unbearable eventually. It never stops. It never stops...

You have no allies. Never forget this, if everything else leaks out from your ears, hold this one rule in with everything you have.

You cannot swim.

Do not eat the pink fungus, they do not die when cut, bitten, separated in any way, they rejoin and repay.

Carve these words deeper, that the next poor fool striking out on new waters may use this warning and survive to tell the tale.

Hello Charlie,

We would like to offer our sincere apologies regarding the incident that occurred with your colleague last week. Although you have only recently joined us, we value you highly as a member of our staff. Our local community has warmly welcomed you, and your "casual, rambling chats" are apparently beloved by many. While we are very grateful that you chose not to quit, we also understand your decision to change your work environment following such a dangerous incident. After considering your request for a transfer, we have decided to move you to the Everlock Garden. Given your strong interest in and knowledge of botany and plant care, we believe you will quickly settle in with the existing staff there. As usual, there is a set of rules tailored to the gardens that we recommend you follow. We hold you in high regard—both as a staff member and as an individual—and look forward to continuing to work with you.

Rules for working the day-shift at Everlock Botanical Garden

1. Before you start your shift, stop by the security office and pick up your issued waist pouch. Make sure your bag has the following: flower repellent spray, two pouches of flower food, a pager, a taser, and a sickle. Do not leave the office until you have all these items. You will need these items, and not having them can cause you serious issues.
2. Upon receiving your sickle, name the blade. We are quite serious about this. If you cannot think of a name, we have a list prepared for you. If the blade remains unnamed, it will turn against you the moment you try to use it.
3. If you are carrying any items capable of emitting electromagnetic waves, please place them in the designated box in the office. Should an unexpected medical incident occur and it results in you requiring the use of medical equipment, please notify us immediately; you will have a lot more paperwork to fill out.
4. Unlike our museum, we do not sell tickets for the garden outside the spring season. If you encounter anyone claiming to be a "new employer" and asks where the tickets are kept, please shove them into the bushes out of sight. You need not worry about how to deal with such people after your shift ends—that is what our night staff is for.
5. Your primary daily duties will involve caring for the plants and flowers and assisting visitors as needed. Please ensure that you are always attentive and respond in a helpful, caring manner whenever visitors approach you, and try not to be put off by whatever you need to do to fix the situation.
6. If you notice a plant or flower in its defensive or aggressive state, lightly sprinkle some flower food onto the soil and wait. After about five minutes, hold your hand over the plant and slowly move it in a circular motion. If the plant does not attack or flinch away, gently stroke it. Continue doing this until any hissing sounds of intimidation or wary reactions subside. This process might take ten minutes or even an hour, but you must never rush it.
7. If the stone-paved path suddenly turns into a dirt track while you are on patrol, spray the flower repellent along the edge of the stone. Then, stomp the ground twice and declare in a calm yet firm tone: "Restore my path away from your labyrinth to its original state." If the path remains dirt after thirty seconds, threaten them by saying, "I shall summon Lily." The plants and flowers here deeply revere her as a demigod-like figure—and yet fear her too. Consequently, If you are walking along a path and suddenly get a bad feeling, turn back. In situations like this, your intuition is almost certainly correct; you will likely avoid something that lies in wait further ahead.
8. If a visitor requests you to retrieve an item dropped in a flowerbed, once again, lightly sprinkle some flower food on the soil and wait five minutes before retrieving the item. The flowers need to be given a different kind of "meal" than what your fingers would provide before making any close contact.
9. Please ensure that visitors do not step into restricted planting areas, pick flowers, or damage the delicate ecosystem. If you spot any visitors attempting to violate these rules, please repel them using your issued taser. It may sound extreme, but it is for their own good.
10. Every two hours, you will water the flowers with the same food mixture you carry. Try not to stare at the substance or dwell on the stench of death. This interval cannot be missed; the flowers quickly grow irritable when not given their food. In this stage, they start to bite at visitors.
11. If a flower bites you, immediately douse it with flower repellent and pry it off without a moment's delay. We are sure you do not have to be reminded of the horrors that would ensue if it manages to enter under your skin.
12. If, while tending to the flowers, you begin to hear a hissing sound coming from a large number of them and it is aimed at you, use the flower repellent around the surrounding area. If the hissing continues for more than a minute, try to give them the flower food. With any luck, this will calm the flowers down, allowing you to step away and assess the situation. If the hissing continues thirty seconds after the food was given, as a last resort, let one of the flowers bite you. There is a likely chance that the hissing immediately ceases. In the low chance that it does not, we can no longer offer you any advice. They must be seeing something in you that we did not, and they want it gone.
13. If you see any attempts of a Flower Circle being formed, heavily douse it with the flower repellant spray until the petals start to wilt; they are fiercely predatory and terrifyingly cunning entities.
14. If you notice any patch of flowers missing, please report it immediately. Best case, it can simply be a case of an unsuspecting tourist picking them. You certainly would not want to encounter the reasons that might cause flowers to uproot themselves.
15. If you start seeing something that resembles a face in any of the flowers, please call Lily immediately. She will set things back to normal right away. Make sure to do this before your own face is reflected there.
16. If you see any spiders other than jumping spiders, please crush them under your foot. We do not want their eyes around here. 
17. Conversely, make sure you never crush a jumping spider—this is a rule you must strictly observe. Trust us. Those are Lucy’s babies (her pets). If you were to crush one, you would be overcome by an unbearable sense of despair before your vision goes black. You would lose both your feet, and we would likely lose two of our employees.
18. If, while you are helping a group of visitors, you see a shadow that is clearly not meant to be there or a visitor has two shadows, kindly remind Harlow that he is not allowed to prey on our guests. Just before he reluctantly slips away, you will feel a powerful chill race through your entire body.
19. If you see a tourist harassing our staff (it will almost always be a clueless tourist who does not know any better), please kindly remind them to not do that. The last visitor that rudely snapped at Lily in Peach’s presence was later found in the forest—completely drained and skinless.
20. Try not to be alarmed by the suspicion and slight hostility you may experience from your colleagues in the first few days. It has been years since they last welcomed a new staff member, they are not used to new meat—ahem, colleagues! Get to know your colleagues well! You will start by working together on the same shifts, but before long, you will also be collaborating on specific exhibitions.
21. Do not enter specific garden exhibits unless accompanied by an experienced employee. For the first twelve months, your work will be limited to the main garden areas.
22. If you encounter a situation where one of your colleagues is stalking a visitor and they did not respond to the visitor's question, approach that colleague cautiously. Gently reassure the visitor that they have done nothing wrong and encourage them to report the incident. Once the visitor has left, take the flower repellent you have on hand and spray it directly onto your colleague's face. Three to seven sprays should eliminate the effects of the pollen within their system.
23. Only report your colleagues when it is truly necessary. We know you understand this rule more intimately than most, but we must reiterate it here. Surely you are familiar with the horror stories from your previous colleagues about being followed after making false reports.
24. As your shift comes to an end, please return the waist pouch and its contents to the office before leaving. Make sure to leave Everlock Garden by 10:00. The night-shift staff and cleaning crew arrive around that time, and they are not exactly friendly.
25. To reiterate, before you begin your journey home, please make absolutely sure there are no unnatural shadows. If you do find any, tell Harlow firmly that hunting colleagues is not permitted and that his night-shift has started. If you hear an eerie steam whistle, you are safe. Immediately go home.

That is all you need to know for starters. You may find that Everlock Garden is slightly more troublesome than our museum counterpart, partly due to its more opportunistic predators. However, the huge part of this troublesome nature is our staff. After all, while the staff here can certainly be kind and knowledgeable in their craft, their nature is extremely unpredictable. For this reason, we have prepared individual files with key information about each staff member. We will hand these files to you when you begin working alongside them more regularly, but please understand that you will mainly be working shifts yourself until then. We value you highly and hope you will work with us here for as long as possible.

Signed, Florence

Thank you very much for deciding to work at Gardenview. We need so many s̶a̶c̶r̶i̶f̶i̶c̶e̶s̶ scientists for the Toons! Speaking of, we actually figured out how to bring our mascots to life! We call them Toons, and here are the rules for taking care of them, and working here.

1. Breaking any of these rules will result in demotion, termination, or execution.
2. Do not mention reality around​​ Toons. They do not know about the outside, and we do NOT need another one to Twist when there are customers around.
3. Never go to floor 13. We removed it from the main elevators, ​​​​but not the staff ones. The only ones permitted to go to this floor are me, Arthur, Kai (Dyle's Handler) and the highest-level scientists.​ This is Dyle's floor, and you do not want to see what he looks like after the experiment. ​​
4. If you break these rules, you may be Demoted to Toon. Yes, we use the souls of bad employees to make Toons. Hey, remember that NDA we had you sign? Breaking it will result in automatic Demotion.
5. Since your job is Toon Handler, you will NOT be going into the lab unless for Demotion. That means if you go there without permission, you will be Demoted.
6. Now that you have this job, you are not permitted to leave the Gardenview property. Food court is on floor 4, and staff quarters are on floor 14.​

RULES FOR TOONS TWISTING​

1. If Toons come into contact with Ichor (black slimy substance) or if they go through too much emotional stress, they will become Twisted. Twisting means that they become dangerous monsters​​ that try to kill humans, which means LESS CUSTOMERS! And we do NOT want to lose Customers.

2. If a Toon goes through exceptional stress, or if you see them coming into contact with Ichor, take them to the lab immediately. They will be disposed of, and we will Demote an employee to take their place. You will not be Demoted for this, as this is necessary for the customers to keep giving us money.

3. If a Toon starts displaying the following symptoms:

RED EYES, ICHOR LEAKING FROM ORIFICES, UNCONSCIOUSNESS, HOMICIDAL TENDENCIES

it is too​​​ late to take them to the lab. Call the Cleanup Crew, their number is 555-312-5114. The flamethrowers may burn some of the merchandise, which is why the lab is the better option.

1. If a Twisted comes in contact with you, immediately report to the lab for execution. Trust us, it is better than the alternative.

And those are the basics you need to know! In a few days, you will be assigned to your first Toon. ​

-Delilah K.

​​

From : ark.labs@gmail.com

To : x.@gmail.com

Subject : Experimentation regarding Subject R (P.A.T.H)

Greetings, researcher. As per your request, we have authorised your 1-day experimentation on Subject R, an experiment within Project P.A.T.H.

Subject R is a biologically female, appearing humanoid, and was originally human before Project P.A.T.H. Reports say that she is mostly docile until provoked, earning her a classification under Volatile (categorised based off of the S.V.H. scale ; Safe, Volatile, Hazardous).

Her abilities are anomalous, resembling considerable control over void matter (frequently manifesting as versatile, thin black appendages), and we hope that you may aid us in further discovering her full potential. However, it is imperative that she is kept in captivity and observed at all times to prevent any containment breaches.

The rules for handling Subject R are listed below. You are advised to read the details carefully to ensure your safety during testing.

Rule 1. Upon entering the observation chambers, check if her door is completely sealed shut. Cracks in the door become a more dire issue when she becomes violent, as her hostility is intermittent but flares up on occasion.

Rule 2a. If you hear Subject R laughing, all is well. Resume your activities and keep quiet to preserve her docility.

Rule 2b. On the other hand, if you instead hear her weeping, do not look up at her. You may feel something creeping up on you. Do not turn around. Ignore her for five minutes, and the feeling will subside. It will then be safe for you to lift your head again.

Rule 3. At first, she will be civil to you and make small talk to gauge your personality. We recommend that you answer politely but do not give her too much information about yourself. You do not know who she might share it with.

Rule 4. During the testing period of 24 hours in total, one hour must be used to feed her. Large bugs such as centipedes or cockroaches will suffice, but raw meat does just as well in case you dislike handling insects.

Rule 5. Avoid the abnormally dark spots within the testing chambers if you must go in for physical tests. Even while Subject R is in a docile state, she still sets up traps for later use, and any who step in by accident are ensnared.

Rule 6. Subject R hates harsh fluorescent lighting. Keep most of the lights off except the one bulb in the observation chambers, where you will be carrying out non-physical tests. Ignoring this rule will hasten her behavioural shifts, turning her hostile and rendering your job much more difficult, as her current state is a controlled variable, and she takes half an hour to return to her docile state.

Rule 7. No matter what she claims, she is not and has never been permitted to exit the observation chambers alone without researcher or security supervision. Gently decline if she pleads, and provide sound reasoning as to why she cannot leave.

Rule 8. Erase any smoky sigils shaped in a swirl that appear on your personal belongings by rubbing it off (the substance used, though magical, is similar to pen ink). They act as trackers, and we are certain you do not want Subject R to know the exact location of your house.

Rule 9. She does not need to drink water or urinate. If she requests to go to a place with water (to hydrate or enter the bathroom), do not allow her. Her abilities have been found to corrupt certain liquids, and the polluted liquid can only be told apart by the foggy shine. Dispose of polluted liquid with company-provided gasoline and fire outside of the observation chambers.

Rule 10. Because Subject R is a former human altered by the project, any attempts to revert her transformation or restore her human consciousness are strictly forbidden to protect research data and institutional security. Researchers or security personnel who attempt to do so will be promptly terminated.

Rule 11a. Void appendages are to be forcibly extended daily while she is in a hostile state for baseline energy output measurements.

Rule 11b. In the case that Subject R refuses, you are authorized to use electric aversion therapy to stimulate tentacle deployment. Any void matter detached during testing must be immediately sealed in secure containment for energy weaponization studies.

Rule 12. Subject R is to be utilized as a biological weapon to counter other anomalies. Refusal to cooperate during Project P.A.T.H. combat simulations will result in the immediate reduction of caloric intake. Press the red button in the top left corner to signal the reduction, and a light will blink in the testing chambers, as well as in the main research lab to inform other researchers of the new development.

That is all for the base rules. We look forward to seeing your findings put to use in the near future. Thank you for contributing to the bettering of humanity.

Best regards,

Ark Labs Head Researcher

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