Dr. Mabel Birch

"Mabel's back, bitches!" The young doctor shouted.

She got off the bus, ready to be greeted by the old townsfolk she remembered getting to know all those years ago. What greeted her was...nothing. no mayor, no police, not even old rivals her own age.

"Huh. That's strange. I wonder what my brother would do?..." Mabel asked out loud.

Her brother had returned a few years back, shortly after her wedding and coincidentally when she started earning her doctorate. He had been pretty famous, and now he was famously missing. Mabel assumed he just threw himself into his work, but now it seemed something may have gone wrong. She came up to the old Shack that they had lived in for one summer. It felt like a lifetime ago, yet still very familiar. Like a dream you had that you just can't seem to forget.

Inside she flipped a light switch, and was surprised to see it worked. The place illuminated as if nothing had changed. Some dust and cobwebs adorned the shelves, but everything is as she remembered it. Sitting behind the cash register, everything seemed so much smaller now she was older, and over three feet tall!

"Where are they? Shouldn't they be here?" Mabel asked, wndering where the caretaker had gone.

Her and her brother had left at the end of summer, and the new caretaker had the original owner's blessing. He was super happy to be the new caretaker that she was confused and concerned that they weren't around. Then she saw it.

"What the...?"

Mabel spied a book lying on the floor in front of the vending machine. It was a leather bound book with metal trim on the corners. On the front was a copper outline of a 5-fingered hand. Inside the hand was inscribed a "4".

"No way, you didn't!" Mabel screamed as she opened it.

Her eyes came upon the front page where she saw words seemingly scribbled haphazardly over the cover page. It read:

"If you're reading this, something has happened to the town. Enter this code on the vending machine. HELP US!"

"Pfft. Classic." Mabel giggled, recognizing her brother's dramatic flair.

As she flipped through the pages, she saw new creatures and some interesting entries that piqued her interest. These were DEFINITELY not the same kinds of things that happened before. She heard a crow claw outside and fly past the window. Mabel felt a shiver go up her spine. Shaking away the feeling, she stood up.

"Okay, time to get SERIOUS."

Mabel took off her backpack and removed her wool coat, draping it on a nearby chair. She opened her backpack and pulled out a bright pink sweater. Pulling it on, she made sure it fit right. On the front was a puppy dunking a basketball. It sat across her breasts, and therefore was prominently displayed. Feeling curious, she typed in the code from the first page onto the vending machine. The front popped open, and Mabel suddenly felt a twinge of deja vu.

Pulling the vending machine away from the wall, it revealed a staircase going down. She looked behind her, and didnt see anyone. She picked up her backpack and walked down. The vending machine slid back into place behind her with a thud. As Mabel walked down the stairs, she noticed there were photos hung on the wall. Of her and her brother from all those years ago during that fateful summer. She also found some of the original owner with her brother, sometime after he had returned.

"Don't worry bro, I'll find ya." Mabel said as she went deeper.

Reaching the bottom, it led to a control room, which had a hatch leading to a large room beyond. She remembered what the original owner installed this for, and her heart sunk in memory. Hopefully she wouldn't have to do it for her own brother. At the console, she found the other 3 books lined up. She sighed as she began to try and find any correlation. As she pored through the four tomes, she didn't expect to encounter something lurking from the shadows...