I understand.

She was a genius.

I just wish she were still here so I could tell her that. She was a genius and I was an idiot not to recognize it from the beginning. So many nights I had spent beating myself up over how to fix this, so many blogs and notes and books I had blown through trying to gather as much information as I could, to find a solution, to make things right.

And she solved it all in less than a week.

It's not an invasion, it's not an attack; it's a game. And it's been set in motion for way longer than we thought it had. Just looking back, it's obvious: The components I found, Luca's sickness, Sophie's nightmares - it was all set up way before we even started this thing. It's been looming over us for a long time, we were just unprepared for it.

It was a stupid, trial-and-error test all along. And I failed.

I tried to be a good leader, I really did. I thought I was keeping us all safe from trouble, not realizing that we were neck-deep in the shit from the start. I set us all back, kept my team from doing their part and that may have cost Ava her life. I ruined everything, and there's nothing I can do about it now.

But it's not done yet. The game is not over. There is something left to be done here. We can still do this, we can still survive, and I'm going to make sure we do no matter the cost. I owe them that much. To Luca, Sophie... and specially to Ava.

I'm not sure what's next. Ava's notes aren't very clear on what happens from here on. I think she knew what was coming, she knew she didn't have a lot of time left. Everything seems rushed and half baked - still, one thing is clear: Whatever was in the box is vital to us and was just about ready to open it. The code is around here somewhere, I know: Lost somewhere between the notebooks, scribbles and computer files.

Ava got us this far, I can't give up now.

"To live is to suffer, to survive is to find some meaning in the suffering."

By Friedrich Nietzsche. I remember Ava quoting that to me a few moths ago, way back before the project started and we found ourselves caught in the middle of this mess. She always had this weird fascination with the guy and encouraged me to read his books, even if I wasn't into philosophy much.

At the time, I was having issues at school and became severely afraid I would loose my scholarship if my grades kept their steady decline. I think it was about this time that I first started really talking to Ava: I asked her to help me study and she complied. It was painful, and I am not a good student, but she managed to get me through the rough subjects and helped me stay in school in spite of my own laziness.

I guess I'm just telling you this because you really need some context on how she acted before we started this: Ava was a kind, helpful person - maybe a bit smug at times, but it wasn't as if she didn't have a reason; no matter the question, she always seemed to have an answer or at least the motivation to find one. In a way, I guess it was that motivation that kept us alive for as long as we have now. 

About a week ago I got a call from Sophie: She sounded like she was desperate and was screaming at me over something about us all being doomed and everything coming to it's end. It took me a while to calm her down and get her to tell me what was actually happening.

Ava is dead. She suffered from a heart attack in the middle of the night and doctors are still struggling to figure out what exactly caused it.

I don't know what to make out of this. I'm confused and scared. Is this supposed to be a warning? Is He trying to tell us to stop trying? Did Ava do something wrong? Did I do something wrong?

I gotta pay a visit to Ava's place, see if I can find anything there. Maybe there's still a chance to sort things out, to make them right.

Ava, I'm sorry I dragged you into this. I'm sorry I couldn't help you. I swear I'm going to continue what you did. I'm going to find a way to get us out of this, whatever it takes.

Luca's signing out

Hey guys. I don't exactly remember who said it, but whoever it was was right. I'm crazy sick, and it's not letting up. I'm weak and tired and can hardly get out of bed. I'm sorry I haven't been on here more often, but with my situation at home, my constant sickness, and this whole.. I don't even know what to call it other than some sort of hell, updating everyone on here about my life has pretty much taken a backseat. Sophie's gone crazy, Tom... I don't even know about Tom, he just fucking up and disappeared. Ava's really the only one who seems more or less sane, but she's pretty much doing her own thing. She mentioned something about it all being over soon, and I pray to whoever is destroying our lives that it will. I've been so... paranoid and sick, I can't handle anymore of the stress and fear over this. I just want to go to sleep knowing that I will wake up in the morning rather than hoping that I'll make it through the night. I just... want things to go back to the way they were...

But first, I need to get over this crazy sickness by trying to relax as much as I can and try to get some sleep... This is Luca signing out for the last time. Goodnight and goodbye, you guys.

I did it

It took a little bit, but I've been looking over the notes I got from Tom. He was never good at puzzles, he always needed all the pieces. I, on the other hand, can see the whole puzzle without all of them.

He didn't have enough information, but I can read this, and I think I know how to fix everything. I need to get  everyone else to work together, and maybe we can solve this. I really think we can fix this.

The only problem is that I'm not sure if there's enough time. There's not much time, but I think if we hurry we can do it.

I'm back

Tom was not helpful, at least not when it came to talking. He refused to try and do anything to help fix things.

I have the box now, and all the components, plus a little extra. I found a notebook of scribbling. It has a bunch of stuff thrown together, and I am pretty sure Tom wrote it. I do not think he meant for anyone to see it, but I will go over it to see if I can make sense of it.

The writing is painful to read, but it will not take me long to go through it. I read quickly.

I will report back later with my findings. Maybe we'll actually be able to get out of this.

Hello Everyone

It has been a while, has it not? I think that you guys are all I have now. I appear to be the only sane one left.

Luca is sick. I know that Luca has been sick many, many times in the past, but it is the worst this time. Luca was sent to the hospital, but all they did was give him a bit of medication and send him home.

He cannot leave his bed.

Sophie is not Sophie anymore. I can never tell when she will be my friend, or when she will be throwing fits, screaming at things that are not present. Any time this blog is mentioned, she just seems to get worse. I miss her, the way she used to be.

Tom left. He took everything and left. I have tracked him down, and I am going to go visit him.

I will post when I get back. Either I will get that boy off his ass and make him fix things, or I will do it myself.

This will not get better with inaction. I am done sitting around and letting this happen.

I will make this right, no matter the cost.

See you all soon.

A Lot Of Things Left Unexplained.

I'm genuinely sorry it's taken me so long to write this.

I've been postponing it for a while now, thinking and re-thinking the situation over and over again, trying to figure out what actually happened, to make some sense of this mess; to find a rational explanation to it all.

After a lot of meditating, I've decided that there may just not be one.

About two weeks ago, I traveled somewhere near five hours by car to visit the headquarters of the company known as "reliable electronics", a company mostly specialized in producing cheap computer devices and accessories, like the ones I found in that box. Upon arrival, the place didn't really stand out: Small, plain office building, with tinted windows and some cars parked in the back. Nothing suspicious.

The lobby seemed normal too: White room, some chairs for guests and a desk in the back, probably for a secretary. I walked in, pretty certain that it was safe, when the door closed shut behind me. I panicked, turned around and tried to get out, but there was no door: Only another white wall. And then, there wasn't even that: Just darkness. Darkness all around me, as far as I could see.

I didn't know what was going on- I still don't know what was going on. I was scared, and confused and I started to panic. I really did think that was it, that I was going to die, disappear and no one would ever hear from me again. But I didn't; Someone out there must've decided there weren't done with me, because there was a light at the end of the tunnel.

Literally: I saw a light, illuminating a small spot in the distance. I didn't know what it was, or why it was there, but it was the only thing I could distinguish for miles around me. So, of course, I started running towards it, thinking that it may be some sort of exit.

It wasn't. As I ran, I started hearing something behind me. Not a man, or at least it didn't sound like a man. It sounded big and like it ran in four legs. And it ran, alright. That thing was getting close to me, and it was doing it really fucking fast. All from the sudden, that light at the end of the tunnel started to seem like it wasn't getting any closer, no matter how fast I went.

Let me tell you something: You never actually run until you feel like you're doing it for your dear life. Without realizing it, you're suddenly light as a feather; it feels like your bones want to escape your body, like the air around you is slowing you down too much. It would've been wonderful if I hadn't felt like I was having a fucking heart attack on the spot.

I ran, and ran, and ran, and kept running, but that fucking light still felt like it was miles away and whatever the fuck was chasing after me was only getting closer by the second without taking a damn break. I could hear growls now, really loud and clear as water. It sounded like a car being crushed by a thousand chainsaws, if that makes any sense- It wasn't pleasant.

I don't know how long I ran for. It felt like days, but for all I know, it was just a couple of minutes before the light ahead of me got so close and so bright that it made my eyes burn. I tried to cover myself, but it felt like it was crawling through my eyelids. It hurted. I dropped, pressed my head against the ground...

And then it just went away. I was inside my car, parked right in front of the building I once thought was RE.

Of course I didn't try to go back in, I'm not THAT stupid. I tried to start up the car so I could get the hell out of there. When that didn't work (because why the fuck would it?) I grabbed my backpack, got out and started walking. But why would it let me catch a breath? Of course /it/ was fucking there as soon as I exited the car. Started running. I'm not sure if it chased me. Didn't stop until my legs gave out.

Next morning, I woke up and managed to crawl myself to a gas station. The attendees must've dismissed me as a hobo or something, because they didn't ask why I was covered in dirt and sweat. I checked my phone, and was kinda surprised to only find one alert: Y'know, I assumed the guys would've sent a text or something. But no.

I saw that post. Of course I freaked out.

I called Ava and asked her to come pick me up, and came back home to find realize that (surprisingly) my car was parked in the garage, my parents hadn't realized I had been gone and my friends had apparently spent an entire day talking and planning with me.

I'm scared. Really fucking scared.

Also, that I had a small, unidentified package in my backpack: A locked, metal box, very light-weight, which tells me that there's nothing to big inside of it. Haven't been able to open it until now and I'm not sure if I want to.

So, that's what's up: We're tired, confused, worn out, shaken up and not a single step ahead of where we were before.

I gotta go catch some sleep.