Article from "The Quiver Gazette"

Valley of Death?

Murder and missing persons in the small town of Quiver Valley

by Neil Cavanaugh

Tragedy struck Quiver Valley last night, as the town has to burry four of its own, and the whereabouts of another four are still unknown, officials said.

Though investigation is currently under way, the town is already in mourning, after the deaths of two local nurses Judy Alvarez (39), Margaret Glenanne (42), hunter Ed Wayans (45) and town football star Riley Jenkins (22) on the 8^th of February, 2011. Though the killer of Miss Alvarez, Glenanne and Mr. Jenkins have been found, no official cause of death has been released regarding Mr. Wayans who’s body still awaits examination in Alchemillia hospital, temporarily closed as it was where the nurses were murdered.

Officials admitted that they had detained and stabilized the assailant, who was wounded by Ranger Michael Boon. No information as of yet on the identity of the man, but authorities wished to calm the populace by releasing a statement that he was not a local resident and that they will do everything in their power to restore order as soon as possible.

The third nurse on station, whose name was not disclosed, will also be questioned, but is currently in shock, and is suffering from a mild infection, her doctor told us.

Far from being the end of our misfortunes, the hunting group Mr. Wayans was a part of is still missing, and search will resume today, with police protection in case the unknown shooter was not alone.

Officials are also looking for any sign of Lester Gordon (50), Ted Jenkins (48) and Thomas Edwards (38) who are still unaccounted for.

Authorities ask civilians to minimize their involvement as it could possibly further complicate the search and rescue, since the weather shows no intention of clearing, and they do not wish any new names to the list of disappeared persons.

Local rangers also warn of possible animal attacks, and though no official confirmation has been given, a source close to the hospital has informed us that Mr. Wayans and his group were most likely victims of a bear attack. Though the number of such incidents has steadily been decreasing around these areas, this is still a valid theory and should by no means taken to be fact. Anyone wishing to help is advised to take precautions. (For a detailed “how to manual” in case of wild animal attacks, see pp.12-13)

More to follow in the evening edition.

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Copies of Boon, Mason reports

Boon, Mason Incident Reports

The following entry is an abridged and contracted version of two Incident Reports, written by Ranger Michael Boon and Deputy Owen Mason.

Confidential Incident Report

To:BLANK Date of Incident: February 9^th, 2011

Location of incident: Alchemillia Hospital, Quiver Valley

I was the first one on scene, due to concern for the welfare of Ryan Jenkins. Following his admission I set up a patrol between the spot on the edge of town where he was found by the Lewinsons and the hospital to keep an eye out for any activity in the woods and to be able to check in on the boy and talk when he awoke…

I, Owen Mason, report that upon arriving at the site of the incident, apart from myself only one official person was present, Ranger Michael Boon. Unfortunately, against protocol, he had already entered the building…

…I wasn’t on duty officially, so after I got the call I immediately headed for the hospital, as there was no sign of movement emanating from the woods at all, and the patrol thus seemed like a waste of time. The nature of the ruckuss was unclear so I was hoping to calm things down and talk to Riley. I entered through the main entrance and noticed admission to be empty, which never is, despite the usual lack of need for it. The nurse originally stationed there was the one to call for help, and I found her near the entrance to the I.C.U., slumped down and shaking...

…upon clearing the entrance area it quickly became clear that every member of the staff had left their station, an estimated 3 or 4 people, meaning that there must have been some serious emergency, the nature of which, as on the phone, was unclear…

… she had no severe injuries as far as I could tell, and when I asked about the bandage on her hand she dismissed it, rambling about Riley having feverdreams. I asked her what the hell was going on and after she managed to tell me I ran towards the secure ward where they were keeping the Jenkins boy. I was almost at the door when I heard the shots…

…I had arrived shortly after Ranger Boon, but saw him run into the I.C.U. after he talked with the nurse in charge of admissions, one Louis Miller (32). I approached and asked for a brief description of the events that had transpired. I will repeat her answer here, though many of the details are still pending verification. According to Ms. Miller, sometime after the first shift-change a weathered man came in, asking for any recent admissions. After he learned the hospital personnel were not authorized to give out any information he pulled a firearm and demanded to be taken to whoever was brought in with bite wounds. Ms. Miller became distraught and unintelligible at this point. From what I can make out, the as of yet unknown assailant entered the room and started inspecting Mr. Jenkins...

…by the time I got in the 2 nurses were dead and the guy who shot them was standing over the restrained Riley, holding the gun to his head. The boy seemed completely out of it, just squirming and moaning from what I’m guessing must have been pretty serious medication. I ordered the guy to halt. He looked at me straight in the eyes and cocked his gun. I again warned him that I will put him down if he didn’t do so with the gun…

…I assessed that the nurse was in no need of immediate medical attention and headed after the Ranger. I almost caught up with him, when gunfire was heard, a single gunshot followed by another. I entered room 417, Riley Jenkins’ room, where I saw two nurses on the floor, shot in the head, Riley Jenkins’ the same on his bed, and the assailant on the floor with a shoulder wound, Ranger Boon standing over him…

The reports go on to say that the gunman survived and was taken into custody, with the preliminary coroner’s report adding the two women had some wounds apart from the gunshots. Both exhibited signs of struggle, possibly with the attacker, though the bites they suffered raised some questions about the sanity of the man, as having a gun would have given him the upper hand. Ultimately it became questionable whether he was the one who actually bit them. DNA samples have been taken for verification purposes.

Unofficial Report 01

I don’t know how to begin. It is odd, considering I used to write for a living. I have been an outsider most of the time, but I wouldn’t dare say I never got emotionally involved in a story. People gravitate towards subjectivism and though I always strived to refrain from it, I never faulted myself in the few instances when it was „personal”. For posterities’ sake I will try to remain objective. Honestly I will do all I can, but you will soon understand why calling it an uphill battle is not even scratching the surface.

On the 7^th of February, 2011, Lester Gordon, local industrialist left with a party of four local huntsmen, Gabriel Mosier, Theodore “Teddy” Jenkins, Edward Wayans, and Thomas Edwards. They established contact upon arriving at the Gordon family cabin a few miles east of Quiver Valley, and made several calls to family and friends. Their last transmission ended with them leaving for the woods, citing frequent movement and good chances of a successful hunt, despite the noise they were making. No call was received thereafter, and worries only arose on the evening of the 8^th, as the group did not carry substantial provisions, and would have had to return by early afternoon the latest. Though state regulations require a full 24 hours before a person be deemed missing, probably in large part due to the Gordon families’ ties in Town Hall, a search began at 6 P.M. on the same day, just before nightfall, with local authorities joined by volunteer groups.

The original plan was to cover the vicinity of the cabin, hopefully finding the men passed out from excessive drinking. According to witnesses the cabin door was found bashed in, with claw marks readily apparent on the outside of the structure. The mauled corpse of Ed Wayans was found inside, and police believed a bear-attack the most likely, probably roused by the commotion caused by the careless group. This was all corroborated by several sets of footprints in the snow, leading away from the cabin, drops of blood in them. Fear had set in that some of the survivors were in need of medical attention and got lost on their way back to town. Local ranger Michael Boon however made sure there was a note in the official report that there were more than four sets of tracks, and bear attacks in this part of the woods, situated relatively closely to the town, were highly unlikely. The search was soon called off for the night however; as visibility was getting worse due to the fog and snow, and losing more people would not have helped. It was hoped that the group would manage to make its way back to town, with the search continuing after sunrise in any other case.

The following information is based purely on interviews conducted after-the-fact, but it seems the Jenkins boy, Riley set off after the tracks himself, concerned for his father. Friends believe he had still not yet recovered from the loss of his mother in a prior car accident, causing his reckless behavior. Official records pick up at 2 A.M. on the 9^th. According to Alchemmillia Hospital staff, the boy was brought in by local storeowners Edna and James Lewinson. Riley had apparently been attacked while out searching, but details of the assault remain unclear as the boy passed out soon after being admitted. Diagnosis was fever induced loss of consciousness, heavy blood loss and early signs of immune reaction to an unknown viral infection. Jenkins was placed in the ICU, and was monitored by several nurses. What exactly happened in the next few hours remains a mystery, but based on the events that transpired in the next few days, an educated guess can easily be made.

More to follow…