Questioning

Officer: Hey, sorry to keep you waiting like that. I thought you might be a bit hungry, so I brought some sandwiches. You want one?

August: No.

Officer: You really should try to eat. I know what happened was rough, but you really shouldn't torture yourself like this.

[Neither of them say anything for a moment.]

Officer: What are you looking at?

???: Don't worry. He can neither see nor hear me.

Officer: Nothing here is going to hurt you, kid. It's just me and you. And these sandwiches.

???: Eating may give you time to think of a lie.

Officer: There you go. Don't go too fast, though. You don't want to make yourself sick.

[There's the faint sound of chewing and the sound of ??? breathing through his mask. This goes on for a couple minutes.]

Officer: So, you ready to talk about what happened.

August: Didn't you listen to the tapes?

Officer: It's alright if you don't want to. Take your time.

August: But the tapes... I recorded...

???: He doesn't know about the tapes. He'll never see them, he'll never know about them. Even if he did, he would never hear what's on them.

Officer: It's alright if you want to cry. I cried the first time someone I cared about passed away.

August: No. It's... alright. Me and my girlfriend, April, were out camping at her uncle's cabin. We were going to spend the weekend there. Our first night there, we had a fight and she... went outside. To... clear her head.

Officer: I'm so sorry. Was that the last time you saw her?

August: Yeah. After a couple of hours I started to get worried. I though that... [August kind of starts to falter here] something had... gotten her.

Officer: Yes. The reports on the news have been a little exaggerated, but animal attacks have been pretty bad lately. It's dangerous to be in the woods at night.

August: Are you saying it's her fault that she died?

Officer: No, no. I'm sorry if that's what it sounded like. It's just... you know what, just forget it. I'm sorry I said anything. Would you mind explaining what happened next?

August: I called the cops.

Officer: You didn't stay to wait for them, though.

August: My girlfriend was in the woods. Alone. I had to go and find her.

Officer: You should have waited for the officials. They would have helped. You might not have seen...

August: But I did see it. I saw her being...

[August doesn't finish and trails off. Every now and then I can hear his shaky breathing. The officer doesn't seem to notice and just continues.]

Officer: So it was a wolf attack. Do you think you could describe it for me? Mhm. Mhm. About how big would you say it was? Alright. Hey, I'm just going to run this out to someone real quick. I'll be right back. Feel free to have another sandwich if you like.

[There's the sound of a door opening and closing. After a while, August's breathing settles down.]

???: You are not a very good liar.

August: It doesn't seem like it matters. What was he even hearing me say?

???: I couldn't tell you.

August: You don' know what you made him hear?

???: I didn't do it. My friends did.

August: Friends?

???: Mmm... perhaps not the best word for them. Allies might be more applicable here. They are beings like myself, and for now they share my interests.

August: The blurs...

???: They choose to refer to themselves as Melody and Discord. They are beings who sing to your perception, altering it, distorting it. They made man hear things that were never said. He sees you talking when you aren't. They might even be making you look like someone else.

August: How do I know they... “singing to my perception”?

???: You don't, though I have forbidden them from manipulating you while I'm helping you.

August: You said I couldn't trust anybody except my tapedeck. How do I know I can trust you?

???: Again, you don't.

[There's the sound of the door opening and closing again.]

Officer: Sorry about that. Paperwork is such a pain, you know. Hey, you ate all the sandwiches, too. It's good for a kid to have an appetite, especially after something like this. It'll never do you any good to stop eating. Anyway, I've put out a notice for that wolf of yours. We'll see if we can catch it. A couple of officers from the city will be showing up in a bit. They're going to take you with them, ask you a couple questions about what happened. Don't be afraid, just tell them what you told me and you'll be fine. Is there anything else you want to tell me before they get here? Anything at all?

???: Don't say anything.

August: I wasn't going to.

???: Good. I want you to look at his collar. Do you see the pin?

August: Yeah.

???: What's on it.

August: A red hand.

Officer: Alright then. I'm going to go take care of some things. I'll be back in a bit to bring you some more food.

[The door opens and closes again.]

???: Remember the Bloody Hand. After today, they are your greatest enemies, second only to the Beast himself.

The tape runs out there. This seems to be the why August was confused about the story. Also, it seems like he wasn't just dealing with the thing that ate April. ??? and these other two, “Melody” and “Discord.” ??? also mentions the Bloody Hand and the Beast, and he refers to them as August's enemies. But ??? doesn't really seem like August's ally either.

There's also ???'s description of “Melody” and “Discord.” Beings like himself that sing to your perception. What does that even mean. What are they?

A skeleton in a gasmask.

Blurs in the corner of your eye.

A bloody man wearing a goatskin.

The Bloody Hand.

The Beast.

I don't understand any of this.