The Date 04/24/20.

Grant Sommers grew up in a small town tucked away between forests and highways. Limestone was so easy to overlook that most people passed it by without noticing. To Grant, the town felt too small for the dreams he carried. He wanted more—more chances, more people, more life than Limestone could offer. Determined to escape, he poured himself into his studies, hoping they would be his ticket to a college far beyond the quiet streets of his hometown.

At 18, Grant had a fight with his parents over his desire to drop out of his studies. He wanted to be able to do more than just sit in a school all day. He stormed out of his house upset at his parents for not supporting his ideas and met up with his friends and began to walk around the town for a while as he met up with his friends, he began to vent the frustrations about his parents not supporting his ideas. They all began to try and help him in their own ways to help him cool off and find an understanding to it all, after a while they eventually helped him understand and he began to make his way back home... before he entered, he checked the mailbox where his future sat right in front of him, a letter from one of the many colleges he applied for.. The "University of Houston"- he was beyond excited after opening and reading the letter; he was accepted? though he didn't know how to tell his parents, he didn't know how they would even react to the news.

After reading the letter, he scurried back into the house, sneaking past both of his parents and right into his own room... a few hours later, he simply laid in his bed with keeping the secret of the letter from his parents, it flowed through his mind if he should or shouldn't tell them about it. He had to tell them; he simply just couldn't he didn't think any harm could come from telling them... finally making up his mind he exited his room to the kitchen where he found both of his parents, working on that night's dinner looking at his mother and father he said "Mom, Dad.. there's something I'd like to show you both." Stopping what they were doing, they both turned to Grant, waiting to be shown what he spoke about. With hesitation, he pulled out a letter and presented it to both of them, they remained still before realizing what it actually was... they both were ecstatic at the sight and thought of him getting into a college! They simply encouraged him to follow his dreams and figure out something he could do to help his small town. He was surprised...? he remained still, as he didn't know what changed in them, but he was happy at least they were supportive of him in the moment they even encouraged him to pack his bags and to leave as soon as possible.

Days later, finally having his bags packed and ready to leave, he started packing his bags into his car he listened as the neighbors poorly whispered about some people being sick at the town hospital and how they weren't getting any better, not thinking much of it he packed his last bag into the car closing the door and trunk. Getting ready for the long trip ahead of him, he climbed into the driver's seat driving off and out of Limestone.

1 year has passed, and Grant hasn't heard anything about the town.

...

Two more years have passed, and Grant still hasn't heard anything about his hometown... until.

...

The Date is 7/16/23.

Grant was sitting in his apartment, working on a project for one of his classes. It took him over two hours to complete the project entirely. He finally stood up to stretch and grab something to eat, only to end up looking through his phone and finding a voicemail from his mother. He hesitated for a moment, remembering they were finally on better speaking terms, and he hit the button to open it, listening to the voicemail carefully. She spoke about how she was proud of him, how far he's gone, and how much he's done. He sighed; as it ended, he didn't feel that the time was right to call them back yet. He was still too busy with the report he still had to write; he put the phone back down moving to get something to eat walking back to his project shortly after.

...

4 Weeks later, on 8/13/23, he was looking back through his phone, remembering the voicemail. He tried to call her back, feeling somewhat guilty about it, he waited... and waited... the call ended, he tried to call her back again, just wondering if she was unable to get it to it in time, he waited... and waited... still nothing. Was she upset at him for not calling back? He thought to try again later.

A few hours later, he thought to go and call one of his neighbors to go and check in on his mother and father. He waited and waited... still nothing but the voicemail of “The number you have dialed has been disconnected”. He thought maybe they just had to change their number for some reason. He tried a different number he knew, yet again he waited... and waited, yet there was still nothing but “The number you have dialed has been disconnected”. He tilted his head that's "2 numbers disconnected...?" He tried a 3rd and yet was still met with the same thing... he decided he needed to go back home and figure out things from there and back to his parents and his hometown.

Without a second thought, he got into his car and drove down to the train station to be able to buy the first ticket into Alaska... Hours later the train stopped, and he had finally arrived in Alaska, he scrambled to catch the first bus into Limestone, but before he did, he stopped back into the nearest town to grab dinner for his family.

Arriving now at Limestone, he stopped a bit outside the town. He wanted to surprise them... Just as the town got into his view, and he arrived, the first thing he saw was the cops strung along the perimeter, their presence enough to keep him back, old instincts and unease stopping him from getting any closer... taking another peek, he began seeing the vans, the suits, military gear with no signifying patches, he was confused. He had to figure out what was going on, knowing the town like the back of his hand. He began to sneak into the town. Using most backroads most wouldn't know about, he kept his distance never really getting close enough to the town and observed from a distance. He watched as body bags were loaded into a van by people in hazmat gear, with most going in and out from a white tent.

He decided he needed to sneak into that tent, he watched and observed as many went in, and many left the tent. He thought as he picked up a rock to just distract them with, throwing the rock at a destroyed building, trying to lure them over to the noise... he waited, and he suddenly watched as all of them burst out of the tent, and scurry over to the building to find out what was going on. As they did, that's when he made his move, he sprinted towards the tent and climbed under the back part of it... He knew he didn't have very long before they came back, he took out his phone and started taking pictures of all the files that laid on the tables... most redacted with a black highlighter, and few with a weird symbol on it... and then a casualty list, he scrolled down the list... he found his parents' names... and more of the people he knew right under them... finally snapping the photos of everything he was able too he climbed and scurried back under the back of tent, and back to through the forest, and back to the bus stop and sneaking out of limestone.

Looking back at his phone as he waited at the bus stop for the bus to come, he took another look at the weird symbols that sat on the paper, not knowing much about it. He decided he'd research it when he got back, but he decided not to think on it and just ride the bus back to the train station... hours later, he arrived and purchased his ticket. Sluggish, confused, and tired, He fell asleep on the train ride back... several hours later, he woke up to the sound of his phone being called several times over. He eventually picked up the phone, listening to one of his friends' rambles about how there was men in suits, and cops looking for him... he stopped and said thank you and simply hung up the phone, breaking it in half and destroying every piece of it fully.

there and then he dropped off the grid, did his best to "disappear" he bought some guys laptop off him for 50 bucks, it wasn't everything he had, but it was everything he had on him buying the computer he quickly made his way sneaking back to his own apartment, shutting the blinds on the windows and destroying any other electronics in his apartment other than the laptop. Eventually, sitting down with the laptop, he bought off a guy on the street searching through forums for the logo with every search coming to a dead end, he decides to search the dark web... through a bit of searching, he eventually landed in Parawatch servers.

Searching through, a chat bubble pops up on the corner of the screen.

"BBI.Mp4: Hey!"

Hesitating for a moment, he clicked on it, and the user began to speak about how they knew of what happened to him and what he's found. They spoke for a while and the user "BBI.Mp4" began to be Grant someone often spoke too, they seem to understand and knew of everything he's been through the past few weeks, eventually "BBI.Mp4" told Grant that he should meet up somewhere, in agreeance thinking they could help him further after he was given the location he dressed up in a gray hoodie, and grey sweatpants, trying to keep himself hidden from the world. He then snuck out of his apartment, carefully moving across streets and behind buildings, and eventually stopping at a bus stop, still with his head down. Minutes later, after waiting for the bus, he boarded it, eventually taking it all the way to where he had to go.

As he arrived, he got off the bus walking into a forest, and arrived at the location of where the user said it would be. Standing there was a man, unsure, and he walked over to him with hesitation in every step he took. He now looked up at him, eye to eye... Grant says, "I was uh, was told to meet here by someone... is that you?" The man nodded. "I suppose you can say that. name's 'Epitome'. I hear you're looking for answers?" He quickly responded with a nod, and later, after 'Epitome' was able to explain things to him, he was taken into "The Disciples," joining the insurgency and becoming a prospect.

> THE RED KEEP