Hello. This is my original fanfiction of Fatal Frame. This idea popped into my head a few months ago, when I decided that I wanted to write something about FF that didn't have the typical Japanese mansion and stuff, but wanted to keep the same old rituals and ghosts. This story takes place in a fictional town in America, circa 1948, and is probably EXTREMELY historically inaccurate due to my lack of knowledge and because I was trying to tie a lot of things together (- w -) Still, I tried my best. (Hopefully, no one is put off by the unusual plot heh.)

I hope you enjoy. :D

prologue

Ashvale Times

July 18th, 1945

School collapses in strange earthquake; missing children thought to be inside

This morning, around 1AM, an earthquake weighing in at a staggering 9.0 on the Richter scale, hit Ashvale. The quake, however, was concentrated in an extremely small location, with the surrounding areas left completely untouched. Neighboring residents claimed to not have felt a single thing, sleeping through the entire night without disturbance.

The disaster occurred around the vicinity of Ashvale High, a school constructed back in the late 1800s. The entire building, once a vast and beautiful historical site, was reduced to complete rubble and debris overnight. Not a single standing remainder of the edifice is to be found.

The same night, a number of children from the town disappeared. They were discovered to be missing the following morning by neighbors, who'd gone over to check on them. Investigations reveal that the children were not taken forcefully from their homes.

Missing Children List:

Eunice Hale (16)

Julian Hale (10)

Seth Garrison (17)

Daniel Garrison (12)

Angela Rivers (13)

Ava Rivers (13)

The children all disappeared with their siblings. The children are also orphaned. Their fathers, in the name of serving our beloved country, were killed in the line of duty while fighting overseas in the war. Whether this is linked to the disappearances, the police have yet to investigate.

It is, however, believed that the children had gone to the school late last night, their intentions unknown. Firemen have not finished digging completely through the debris, but a teddy bear with traces of saliva belonging to Julian Hale has been found, suggesting that he and possibly his sister had gone there that night. Other remains have yet to be found, but the conclusions are grave.

"It is likely," says Chief Fireman Harry Thompson, "that the children are all dead. If they really were down there, then they were probably completely crushed by the debris."

The one remaining "survivor" of this tragic story is Diana Hale (14), the middle child of the Hale siblings. Of the three, she was the only one to not disappear during the night. Hale is currently under police custody and being questioned.