[There's a pause as the post starts, the sound of Clayton clearing his throat so he sounds less hoarse and generally horrible. He is marginally successful. There's really no avoiding it unless he goes straight to text, and that feels far too impersonal for the situation at hand.]

Hey there! [He'd be waving if he could. Hello Norfinbury! Nothing to worry about here!] Good Lord, it's been a while...ah, sorry fer that! We were all awful anxious 'bout trackin' down Angel 'n Rhys, so I ain't been keepin' up much with the network while I was searchin'.

[Oh, and then also because he ended up trapped in a basement with them for a couple of days. Details, minor details. No one needs to know about this.]

Found 'em, though! They're both safe 'n stable. Takin' 'em up to the house with the hot water 'tween the school 'n the funeral home--think it's jus' south a where Jane's havin' that meetin'? [A beat, like he's quietly waiting for others in the house to confirm or deny this.] --Gonna watch 'em fer a few days, make sure they get some rest. It's been...stressful. But they'll be alright.

[And that's as much as Clayton's going to speak on the matter unless he's pressed for it. Nothing about how hurt Rhys is, nothing about how they've also got Jack with them, nothing about needing to be rescued. It's a nice, vague sweep under the rug, and Clayton prefers it that way.]

Now, ah...I've managed t' do a bit a skimmin'. Looks like y'all 've been busy! Got some new folks in, I think? 'Bout time fer another round I suppose. If we ain't met yet--hey! Doctor Clayton Epps. Y'all need anything checked out, jus' wait 'round by the lil' house with the shower an' comforter out by the west wall, make yerself comfy an' I'll catch up sooner 'r later. I've left some rations in the house over 'case anybody needs 'em. Anybody's in the area an' lookin' fer somethin' t' do, I'm hopin' t' get another mattress 'r two in there? Set up somethin' more permanent. Any places nearby that could spare 'em, I'd appreciate havin' 'em over. Jus' don't go hurtin' yerself tryin' to drag somethin' from 'cross town 'r nothin'.

'Bout t' do a lot a walkin' t'day--won't get back t' this 'til t'night, I'm thinkin', but I could do with some readin' 'long the way. So! What've I missed?

[Despite the ongoing blizzard, Beckett is standing out in the open, somewhere in the Northwest park, pulling his scarf down to talk clearly to the camera. He looks absolutely exhausted and absolutely filthy, mud and some dried blood caked all over him, but also very pleased with himself. It is a good day for the Snowhell Sciences.]

It is my pleasure to report that the mass grave in the park does not, in all likelihood, contain the bodies of previous outsiders like ourselves. Steve, Rydia and I have spent the day excavating, and most of the specimen appear to have received proper burials, complete with some preparation. Causes of death vary, including several instances of apparent death from old age, and we have found none that appear particularly mysterious, or any consistent pattern of violence. All in all, my standing hypothesis is that the park was utilized as an impromptu graveyard when more official sites became unavailable... or possibly overbooked.

[He looks thoughtful for a moment, considering how to proceed with the more delicate aspects of the report. But in the end, his decision is very much Fuck It.]

Those of you who consider themselves squeamish might wish to look away now.

[That perfunctory warning given, he turns around and shows the dig site in all its glory - and he's standing very close in order to show it clearly through the snowfall. The video shows the large hole that Team Gravedigger has cleared, demarcated by green yarn of all things, and a neat row of bodies outside of it. The bodies have been laid out carefully and somewhat cleaned, their faces especially, showing a variety of people of different ages, genders, etc., although all of them appear to be mundane humans. They appear mummified, having had little chance to decompose, and many of them are dressed as though they have received a proper funeral. As he steps around the corpses to show them in detail, Beckett continues to narrate, his tone dry, like some kind of bizarre nature documentary.]

An interesting detail is that, while some specimen appeared to have suffered violent death, sustained wounds in these cases would have killed them instantly, before treatment could be offered. We have also found signs of exceptionally clean amputations, and less instances of scarring than I would have expected. Still, it should be noted that this is a small sample and may not be representative. More work is required.

[So that's today science lesson. Hope you've had fun, Norfinbury, Beckett certainly has! He sounds downright cheerful on the concluding note:]

I should also note that while this was not pleasant, we have not suffered effects that I would call debilitating. I have every intention to carry on this project.

[You vampire freak.

Also attached is: corpsefaces.jpg, which does exactly what it says on the tin: a collection of close-up photos showing the faces of various dead people. Several are blurred and static-y, but some are quite clear. For your browsing pleasure. Sweet dreams!]