THIS FILE CONTAINS THE TRANSCRIPTS FOR THE FOOTAGE INVOLVING THE ARRIVAL OF ANDERS, EMMA, AND BLAINE AT [REDACTED], THE HOMETOWN OF JAKE GRANTHAM.

--File 033: Stepford Grantham--

10/20/XXXX - 1:45pm

The video begins at an odd starting point, being filmed from Blaine's hip. It would appear that he's started filming surreptitiously.

The three of them are walking from the car together, Anders on the left, Blaine on the right, and Emma in the middle. She's wearing a backpack, presumably with the gray game console in it; for now, it is out of sight of the camera.

As they walk, the camera occasionally catches glimpses of a few people in the parking lot of the inn that they have pulled up to. They are staring openly at them, and when Anders finally raises a hand to wave on account of the not-so-secret staring, Blaine twists the camera to show that not a soul reacts to the wave.

Emma: "'Toto, we're not in Kansas anymore'..."

Blaine: "I'd take a tornado straight out of the Wizard of Oz right now, if it meant getting out of this place. People have not stopped staring since we got here."

Anders: "Pretend nothing is happening and follow my lead."

They approach the front entrance to the inn. Three floors of rooms stretch off to the side with a mostly empty parking lot, and the entire structure appears to be in remarkably good shape, likely because they hardly see any visitors.

True to form, as they enter into the front office, an older woman at the front desk looks up with a shocked expression on her face that she quickly covers up with a too-wide smile.

Woman: "Hello! Fancy seeing some strangers here. Don't get many out-of-towners out here."

Anders laughs heartily and smiles at her warmly, a smile she does not remotely seem to want to return.

Anders: "I know it's sudden, but I'm hoping you have two rooms available. My daughter is pregnant, and we're trying to get her and her boyfriend home to her mother, but we got a little lost."

The hand holding the camera twitches in some surprise at this story, but neither Emma nor Blaine say anything. The woman looks very pointedly at Emma's lack of a visible baby bump.

Woman: "Pregnant, huh?"

Emma: "It's early on."

The woman at the desk does not appear to believe Emma.

Woman: "I don't know, we're pretty booked out."

Blaine's body twists with the camera, pointedly looking out the window at the empty parking lot.

Anders: "Well, we'll pay full price, extra even if it means we can get a room for a few days while we get our bearings. Reception out here is terrible. Emma, could you get me my wallet from your backpack?"

Woman: "Yes, well, I don't think you're going to find anywhere to stay here in town, Mister-"

At this point, the woman's voice stops cold and she freezes. Blaine turns in time to see Emma kneeling on the floor. Without a word and without acknowledging the woman's sudden silence, she has pulled out the gray handheld console and placed it on the floor, rooting around in the backpack as if she is still searching for Anders's wallet.

Emma: "It's not in here, dad."

Anders: "Ah! My mistake. It's in my back pocket. I thought you still had it from earlier. Ma'am, I know you said you're full, but-"

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The woman gives them an alarming, freakishly wide smile as she turns back to them, teeth too white and eyes suddenly too big in her face.

Woman: "Not at all! It was my mistake. We certainly have two rooms for the both of you- and I just realized, we're having a promotion, so the rooms are 50% off! You're lucky, I just remembered the brochure!"

Blaine's camera catches Anders smiling in delighted surprise, a perfect act. He is shockingly good at playing a part.

Anders: "Well, guess we're meant to be here, then! We'll take two rooms, please. One for me, and one for the kids."

Woman: "Of course. I just need you to sign a few wavers, and you can pay however you like, I'll print out a receipt for you in advance."

Emma glances up at Blaine with only somewhat disguised unease as she picks up the game console, glancing at the screen. The timer indicates they still have plenty of time before the next Event.

Anders: "Sure, that'll be just grand. I'll be paying in cash. Do you need my ID? Kids, you can go wait outside while I get the keys."

Emma: "Thanks, Dad."

Emma and Blaine both hurriedly step out the door, peeking around the corner to see if the strangers in the parking lot are still there. They aren't, and two cars are now missing from the parking lot.

Blaine: "Shit. If the whole town didn't see us driving in to begin with, they'll know we're here within the hour."

Emma: "Was that not the single creepiest moment of your life?"

Blaine: "Her face changed, right? Like actually changed?"

Emma: "You saw it too? God, I thought I was going crazy- and Anders is actually fine in there by himself?"

Blaine: "Probably not, but he's good at his job, so he'll hide it really damn well."

Emma: "You saw how her eyes just like... zeroed in on the game? They know what it is, all right. They know why we're here."

Blaine: "Anders was right. They aren't going to stop us. He might even be right about- you know. Our friend."

Emma nods gravely, looking anxiously inside the office. A few minutes pass, and Blaine nervously passes the camera from one hand to the other; finally, Anders rejoins them outside, looking intensely relieved to find them standing there.

Anders: "She did not stop smiling that entire time. Thought that smile would just keep widening until it snapped her head in half."

Emma: "You saw it too?!"

Anders: "It got worse after you left. Come on, let's get to our rooms. I think we're still going to set a watch at night- Blaine was right. Trust abso-fuckin-lutely no one."

They all walk in silence toward their rooms, which, much to their anxiety, are not placed near each other. Anders's room is placed on the third floor, and the room that the supposed newly weds are sharing is on the first floor.

Emma: "You serious? We're this far apart?"

Anders: "Trust me, I tried. That's why it took me so long. She insisted, and even if I'm good, there's only so long you can handle being stared at with eyes that never blink before you just... give in."

Blaine: "New tactic for your interrogation rooms."

Anders: "If I make it back."

There's a tense moment following that statement, and Anders shakes his head, giving them an apologetic smile.

Anders: "Sorry. Lady got in my head. I'm fine. Everything is fine. Let's just get our stuff down, and then we'll proceed with the next phase."

Emma: "Shouldn't we be more... I dunno, quiet? We shouldn't talk about any of that, right?"

Anders: "I have a funny feeling they know exactly why we're here, and they're not going to give two shits about it."

None of them say anything. Anders tromps off up the stairs toward his room, while Emma and Blaine both carefully push their door open, stepping inside.

Immediately, Blaine hands his camera to Emma, who quickly takes it, turning it so she can film Blaine moving all over the room. He checks behind bland paintings of flowers and dull landscapes, presumably to try to locate any cameras or recording devices.

The room is sparse, and looks barely used. The blankets on both beds are crisp and clean and unwrinkled, white and nondescript in every way. The carpet is a shag rug, and there is a single TV in the corner of the room, old enough to possess both a DVD player and a VHS player. It, too, looks unused.

Finally, Blaine stops, looks unhappily at the light fixtures, and shakes his head.

Blaine: "If they've got recording devices in those light fixtures, I'd have to break them to get to them, and I'm not keen on doing that."

Emma: "You did your best."

Blaine: "We just won't talk about anything serious in here."

Emma: "At least there are two beds."

Blaine: "Maybe we were supposed to get the third floor room."

Emma: "You think Anders was thinking that?"

Blaine: "No idea. Maybe we'll switch rooms every night."

Emma: "If they're listening in, they'll know that the second we do it."

Blaine runs a hand through his hair and blows out through his nose explosively.

Blaine: "I was not expecting this to be as nerve-wracking as it is. I feel like we're being watched. Here, give me the camera, I want to look back over that footage of... you know."

Emma reaches over with the camera, Blaine accepts it, and a moment later, the footage ends.

--END TRANSMISSION--