John Doe - A Detective that doesn't actually have the app for himself. (TheNextGamer - Updating schedule is horrendous)

It was in the middle of spring when news broke out. Broadcasting everywhere on our tiny black and white TVs.

Some sort of new "religious" organization, or as you liked to call it a cult, was on the rise of popularity and was sweeping North America by storm. Newspapers couldn't stop talking about them, commercials wouldn't stop mentioning them. Apparently, almost twenty-five percent of American citizens were already a part of this cult, and thirteen percent of Europe joined in on the craze.

What was strange about this new cult is how quickly they managed to rap up so much support in such a short timeframe. It's only been recognized as an official group just two months ago, and already here you are, hearing the news about them as national news.

Interviews with those in the cult mention how much fun and happier their lives have been ever since they joined. It wasn't just randoms they picked up from the streets either, famous political figures and Hollywood celebrities were also a part of the group. No matter where they were though, or what the topic was originally about, if it was on the air or was for a newspaper, the topic of their favorite cult was always brought up and glorified.

They would mention specifically how they weren't or pressured into joining, and they only first heard about it through rumors among friends and colleagues. They would mention how it was nothing like the scam that Scientology was or as morally righteous like the Christians. They try their best to debunk every single negative rumor or bad press about the cult as if they took personal offense to it themselves. Spoken as if it was pure hard facts, the cult never asked for donations, they never indoctrinate or brainwash, and they never did anything unethical or immoral. Any donations that the cult members gave, they insisted that it was their own free will and only because they believed the message that the cult was trying to spread.

What was their message? Peace and love for all. No more war, no more hostility. Freedom and equality for men and women of all nations.

You almost thought it was just some fancy trend that all the kids were into that would soon later become forgotten in the next year or two. But with this many support and this much coverage, You were starting to doubt the cult's popularity will die out anytime soon.

It sounded too good to be true. It had to be, right? A religious group that doesn't spout damnation of any sort, doesn't look down on certain people, and everyone who ever joined will have a happier and more fulfilling life?

It had to be.

As you continued downing a warm glass of milk, you looked on at the TV where they broadcasted the current events of the cult's new parade march in California.

The Affectionates. A corny name, to be sure. It sounded like something a naive little girl would name their tree house club.

Leading the parade was some hotshot Hollywood actress named Natalie Wood, which was why the parade was getting so much attention in the first place. Made you wonder if this was a part of their plan in the first place, creating as much positive buzz as possible through celebrity figures.

About hundreds of people were a part of the parade, handing out fliers and balloons, throwing homemade cookies and candy to kids as they passed by.

For as long as they were under the nation's spotlight, it seemed like they never did any wrong. No scandal, no controversy, no backlash of any kind. You'd expect those from other religions would be quick to call out their seemingly perfect practices, but there's not even that. Not a single peep from any other religion in the world was spoken against these guys. Not. Even. One.

It was as if they were the picture definition of perfect.

And it was suspicious as all hell.

You sighed as you set your glass bottle down and turned the TV off.

Your name was John Doe, Freelance Detective. You've never done a case before in your entire life and you only started this detective agency about a month ago. You were practically a goldfish in a piranha's world, without a single bit of credibility to your name. The most exciting job you've ever done since you opened up this agency, was helping a rich kid find out where the keys to his dad's Ferarri had gone, having been missing from a recent joyride. Turned out to be in the dad's keychain this entire time, and the dad didn't even notice his car was taken by his son the first place.

The kid didn't even pay you the full amount of what was promised since he argued it was never missing in the first place. What a generous kid. Not.

Getting slightly off topic.

No one was paying you to do this, but you took a personal interest in finding out more about this new cult that was sweeping the nation. You dedicated as much free time as possible in order to gather as many details as you could about its founder and the people inside. That's not saying much, considering most of your free time is dedicated to doing odd jobs just to pay off living expenses, and the debt accrued from starting this business. But still, from spending the rare amount of free time you did have on researching the cult, you were able to find out three important things.

First, their founder is shrouded in mystery, never once coming out in public to give interviews or make any public statements. Nobody knows what he looks like, where he lives, hell, there wasn't even a name associated with the guy. That's pretty suspicious for a new religion.

Second, anyone that gets involved with the group seemingly turns into a devout member overnight. No exceptions. Peter Falk, the guy who played Columbo in that detective TV series, he said he was gonna join it as a joke, just to see what the hubbub was about. It only took a week to come out to announce that he was a firm believer in the cult's practice. A prolific journalist once tried to sneak into the cult in order to become a whistleblower on any sort of suspicious activity. Not only did he quit his job and joined the cult himself, but he's also married to one of the members and now owns his own barbershop.

Third, every single member of the cult seems to know the leader and founder on a personal level. They refuse to tell his name, they refuse to describe his face, they refuse to explain why he doesn't show himself to the public. But everyone who's aligned with the cult seemed to imply and suggest that they all know him personally. Do you have proof of this? No. Does it sound far fetched and impossible? Maybe, especially considering how many people have joined the cult within the last two months. But that's the impression you've gotten as you researched into the group. He seemed to somehow worm his way into everyone's hearts, and there's probably not any evidence that he even actually exists.

It smells like a conspiracy of some sort. There's no way a new religion could just pop out of the blue and become so accepted and widespread in just under a few months. You had a gut feeling that there was more to this than meets the eye. If only you could prove it... If only you had the resources and free time to go out of your way to do a full investigation on this cult, then maybe you'd be the first to reveal what hidden secrets this cult had to offer.

What was it about them that caused so many American citizens to join? Why were so many celebrities and politicians involved with the group? Who was the man who founded the group in the first place?

So many questions, and yet you couldn't afford to go out there and find the answers yourself, being the rookie detective that you are.

Until that fateful day, when a young girl waltzed into your life and offered you $100,000 to help her find out the secrets of the Affectionates.

You're about to get on the ride of your life, kiddo. And trust me, this is gonna be a hell of a ride for me too. After all, I never wrote a detective story before. Heheheh.