This was supposed to be confidential information, but at this point, I simply don’t care anymore. I’m a student at Picomonte University. Never heard of it, right? Yeah, that’s part of what happened too. Apparently, all the records of the University, its existence, students, etc. were lost in a fire a few months ago. After receiving an email notifying about some students who would go there to help restore whatever was possible, I grabbed my car and drove there, hoping to find some old friends.
However, to my surprise, when I arrived there, I found none of my old friends, nor any support group helping. All that remained in place of the campus was an empty plain, with a faint smell of carbon in the air, almost diluted. I almost gave up and turned back, but before that, I noticed a small heap of charred debris that seemed to have escaped total destruction. Among them, I spotted a partially melted metallic object. Curious, I approached and retrieved it from the ground.
It was a drive from one of the computers. I believe it’s now the only trace that Picomonte ever existed, besides my memory. I took it home and asked an acquaintance of mine, a computer technician, to help me restore the files that were there. After a few hours of hard work, I received the compiled first part of the files in my email, with a promise that he would send the rest soon.
The moment I read the title, it was as if a whirlwind of previously inaccessible memories flooded my mind, while the name “prophetproject.zip” blinked on my screen. A tremor ran through my body, from my back to the tips of my trembling fingers over the keyboard.
To introduce you, the “Prophet Project” was a research developed by the psychology team in conjunction with the philosophy of religion class (of which I was a part). The proposal was to gather people who reported having experienced contact with something “divine”. We managed to gather a wide variety of religious individuals, from various beliefs, however, in the end, we ended up selecting 3 to continue the study. Here’s a brief introduction to their profiles (obviously sensitive data is pseudonyms):
Subject A - Codename: “Angel”
Origin: Christianity, Catholic faith
Description: Middle-aged woman, retired teacher. Reports having visions of an angel who guides and advises her in times of difficulty. Believes that her visions are divine messages of protection and guidance.
Subject B - Codename: “Oracle”
Origin: Spiritualism, mystical practices
Description: Young man, student of occultism. Claims to have access to visions and premonitions during states of meditative trance. His interpretation of the visions is largely guided by symbols and archetypes present in tarot and astrology.
Subject C - Codename: “Seer”
Origin: Hinduism, Vedic traditions
Description: Elderly woman, immigrant from India, where she has practiced Hindu faith since birth. Describes experiences of ecstasy and union with the divine during her spiritual practices. Believes that her visions are insights into the ultimate nature of reality.
-–
It’s strange, however, that as I read, despite remembering them and even their real names, the image of their faces doesn’t come to mind, just slightly recognizable features, blurred, I don’t know, my head hurts just thinking about it. Well, I won’t interrupt anymore for now, here’s the transcription of an audio recorded in the first session with Subject A, where things started to get strange:
[Session 1 - Subject A - 05/02/2021]
Researcher: Good morning, Subject A. How are you feeling today?
Subject A: Good morning. I’m fine, thank you.
Researcher: Great. Could you tell us what brought you here so that it’s recorded?
Subject A: Of course. As far as I can remember, I’ve always had experiences with my angel. He is my protector, assigned to me, and I was chosen by God to be able to see him. He appears sometimes to bring some instruction or safety alert, sometimes he tells me about avoiding a path I usually take or other similar guidance.
Researcher: Perfect! Let’s start by reviewing your recent experiences. Have you had any visions in the last few days?
Subject A: Yes, I had a vision last night. I saw the angel again. He told me to have courage, that a challenge is coming, but that I am protected.
Researcher: Interesting. And how do you feel about these visions? Do they worry you?
Subject A: No, quite the opposite. I feel blessed to have these visions. They bring me comfort and guidance in times of uncertainty.
Researcher: I see. Please put on this device here, we’re going to measure some brain activities during exposure to the mentioned figure. For the record, I will display to patient A an image of an angel in the foreground, with a celestial background.
[Sound of equipment being turned on]
Researcher: Okay, I’m projecting the images. What are you seeing now?
Subject A: I see a bright light, so intense… It’s like…divine
[Sound of machine recording brain activity]
Researcher: We’re capturing patterns…There seems to be a significant response in the temporal lobe region.
Subject A: The angel is telling me something now… He says that…
[Sound of static]
Researcher: What’s happening? We lost connection with the sensors.
[More static]
Researcher [shouting]: Subject A, are you okay?
[Silence]
Researcher: Subject A?
[Sound of increasing static]
[Recording ends]
-–
[Section 5 - Subject C - 07/25/2021]
Researcher: Good morning, Subject C. How have you been feeling since the last session?
Subject C: I’ve been feeling at peace, as always.
Researcher: Excellent. Before we proceed, I’d like to review your recent experiences. Have there been any new visions or insights you’d like to share?
Subject C: Yes, I had a very powerful vision during my morning meditations. I saw the dance of Shiva. I felt transported beyond the stars, to a place of pure consciousness.
Researcher: Fascinating. How did you feel during this experience?
Subject C: I felt uplifted, it was a deeply transformative experience… There’s something important about to happen.
Researcher: I have no doubt. Let’s continue with the analysis of brain activity. Please, let’s proceed as usual, okay? You can grab the device next to you.
[Sound of equipment being turned on]
[Here there’s a later insertion by the researcher, saying that after the initial encounters, he would now display a completely black screen, without any image, in order to understand how the patient would react to it]
Researcher: The image is being projected. What do you see now?
Subject C: I see… the Lord … as a river of energy flowing through the universe.
[Sound of machine recording brain activity]
Researcher: Interesting… we’re detecting even more intense activity patterns than before. There seems to be an unusual synchronization in various areas of the brain… The imaging formation field is also active.
Subject C: I’m feeling… different… as if… Shiva is calling me…
Researcher: Subject C, are you feeling okay?
[The sound of the device continues]
Researcher: Subject C?
[Noises in the background, something breaking]
[Subject C screams]
[A wet sound is heard followed by a scream from the researcher]
Researcher: What the hell is this? Security!
[Shortly after, people enter the room and seem to try to restrain Subject C]
[Recording Ends]
While playing that last audio, a bad feeling took over me. Something is wrong… That sound… it was disturbing. Almost instinctively, I lifted my shirt, revealing a scar that I didn’t remember having… Slowly, something started to take shape, memories, images, the smell of blood… was I the researcher in that recording? Damn, something is really off.
I opened the email that had called me for the community meeting at the university, which to my surprise turned out to be senderless. I tried searching for Picomonte on the internet but without success, it seems like the virtual clues simply vanished. I remembered, however, something very peculiar: In my city, at the local library, we have a copy of Soren Kierkegaard’s work “Fear and Trembling”, translated by our class. I used to go there to gaze upon the beautifully produced edition that I had helped to produce, and that, obviously, had the seal and some information in the preface mentioning the University.
I decided to rush to the library, hoping that at least my mind would calm down when I saw that blue crest again. I entered the place hastily, trying to keep quiet. It wasn’t crowded, maybe 4 or 5 people scattered around besides the librarian. I ran my hand along the shelf (which I had already memorized), but, to my dismay, I didn’t find the book. I started to search but there was no sign. I was about to ask the lady at the reception when I heard a child’s voice:
“Look mommy, an angel!”
Upon hearing those words, my heart froze. I turned slowly to see who was speaking and found a child pointing to an empty spot next to me. The memories of what I had heard earlier came rushing back like a punch, a sensation of panic engulfed me as I stared at nothing, unsure of what to expect. Was I paranoid?
“Where?” her mother asked, bending down.
“Right there, next to the man,” she said pointing at me.
Now I was sweating, wondering what that meant. Her mother turned to me.
“Sorry, she’s been talking a lot about angels lately,” and turned to the child, “Must be the man’s guardian angel.”
“No problem, Kids and their vivid imagination,” I muttered, forcing a smile. But inside, something was twisting, as if reality was crumbling around me.
I left the library hastily, feeling as if I were being watched by unseen eyes. I entered the building’s lobby and went to the elevator, feeling uncomfortable as I watched the doors close. The sensation of claustrophobia was palpable, as if the walls were closing in around me. I tried to distract myself by watching the numbers go up: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 6, 6… The number continued to repeat in a loop and a shiver ran down my spine. The elevator seemed to be stuck in an endless cycle, showing no sign of stopping. My fingers trembled as I pressed the emergency button incessantly, but nothing happened.
That’s when I saw it. A reflection in the elevator mirror, a quick and fleeting movement, like when someone uses a watch or cellphone in the sun, and the glare of the reflection hits your eyes directly, you know? My eyes widened in panic as I tried to discern what it was, but before I could react, the light disappeared.
I was alone in the elevator, but I didn’t feel alone. An indescribable weight hung over me, filling the air with a sense of oppression. I was being watched, I knew it. The hair on the back of my neck stood up as a sound that I don’t know what it is, but my gut tells me it was some kind of laughter, echoed through the four metal walls.
The elevator finally stopped, the doors opening slowly, revealing a dark and deserted hallway ahead of me. I hesitated for a moment, my heart pounding wildly in my chest, before taking a hesitant step forward. I started to walk towards my apartment, the air becoming heavier, as if it were getting hard to breathe. My head began to throb with a sharp pain, and a feeling of nausea began to wash over me.
The further I walked, the longer the hallway seemed to get, it was like walking infinitely, the yellow light from the lamps only added to the discomfort and pain, until all of it dissipated, not by relief, but by fear. I heard the elevator chime, and its doors opening, slowly. The moment I turned to look, a blurry figure emerged. I don’t think I can even describe it. My muscles tensed as I stepped back, unable to look away from the apparition advancing towards me.
“Who… who’s there?” my voice came out as a trembling whisper, lost in the vacuum of the empty hallway.
The creature didn’t respond, only continued to approach slowly, as if relishing in my fear. I could feel its presence weighing down on me, pressing me down like an anchor. Its voice echoed in my mind, whispering unintelligible words that seemed to mock me.
Without thinking, I turned around and started to run down the hallway, my legs moving frantically as I struggled to escape from that presence. With each step, the hallway seemed to stretch even further, as if it were distorting to keep me prisoner. Finally, when my strength was nearly depleted and my vision began to blur, I spotted the door to my apartment in the distance. With one last desperate effort, I ran towards it and threw myself inside, locking it behind me with trembling hands.
I leaned against the door, panting, as the sensation of imminent danger still pulsed in my mind. I looked around my apartment, half expecting to find the creature there with me, but the space was empty and silent. I looked through the peephole and saw nothing. The intercom rang, making me jump back. It was Tobias, the doorman.
“Mr. Rob, I was watching the cameras here and… are you okay?”
“Yes, I’m… fine,” I replied, my voice trembling. “Thank you, Tobias.”
“Oh, okay, just ask not to slam the door, and in case you and your friend are going to have a party or something, don’t make noise after 8pm.”
“All be- Friend?”
“Yeah, that redhead guy who came in with you.”
A wave of confusion and panic swept over my body. I had entered the building alone. I hadn’t brought anyone with me. “Tobias, I came in alone,” I murmured, my voice trembling.
There was a pause on the other end of the line. “If you need anything, let me know,” he said before hanging up.
I don’t know what the hell is going on, and the only thing I can cling to is that there is something playing with my sanity, and if its intention was to scare me, it worked very well. If any of you have information about Picomonte and can share it, I appreciate it. Meanwhile, I continue here, locked in my apartment, just waiting for it to get tired of me, or decide to end me once and for all.