Kasey Gordon was a teacher at Midwich Elementary school. He'd seen a lot of things teaching – oh, nothing out of the ordinary. Rebellious kids, spurts of ADD induced violence, overly shy kids, etcetera. But never, in all his years of teaching, had he been presented with a case like Alessa Gillespie.

Every day, that child came into his classroom with a new scrape, or bruise, or cut, or a black eye.. no matter what she had, she was always crying. At first, Mr. Gordon thought that Alessa simply had the case of an alcoholic father that was abusive to both child and mother. He'd seen that before, although it was slightly uncommon for him or any of the other teachers in the town. However, he ruled that out once he found out that Alessa had no father.

"Alessa.. could I ask you, what's your father like?"

A blank stare.

"Father? I... I have no father.."

That response had troubled him. Most other kids would've at least explained something about how their father lived away from them, or something else... either way, Mr. Gordon felt, at the time, that it was none of his business; best not to interfere.

Although it bothered him.

And there was something about that woman... Dahlia Gillespie.

Kasey had heard rumor about that Cult, "N6".

"Is that what they're called?" He had asked a neighbor, Lisa. He saw her every morning before he went to work. They both happened to leave their houses at the same time. She worked as a nurse for the near-by hospital. "I think that girl's mother, Dahlia, might be involved with them. I've heard rumors, too. I've heard that they're the same people that've been selling that drug, White Claudia, to the tourists to support whatever it is they're doing. And I've heard that they have an Orphanage out in the woods by the lake. Wish House... Hope House.... What is it called?"

Kasey could've sworn he saw a blush creep across Lisa's cheeks. "I really don't know anything about it," she said weakly before flashing a smile. She was really a beautiful woman. Single, too. Kasey had thought about asking her out in the past, although he had never gained the courage. But, all the same, he wasn't blinded by her beauty or anything of the sort that he'd ignore her strange reaction. She even couldn't get the key into her car door because of the slight way her hand tremored! Kasey wet his lips, paused for awhile, then spoke again:

"I think I'm just going to contact the proper authorities about Alessa. Let them deal with it, y'know?"

"That poor girl.." Lisa murmured. She looked to Kasey wearily, and sighed. "If what you say is true, then that Cult... well, if that woman is involved with them, they're dangerous people. I hate to say it, but maybe you should just keep quiet. Anyway, I'm going to be late to work. 'Bye, Kasey." Lisa opened her car door, stepped into it and closed the door. Kasey waved as she drove off.. but what she said stuck to him. As much as he hated it... maybe she was right. Maybe he shouldn't say anything, just yet.

Alessa Gillespie did not show up to school that day.

That troubled Mr. Gordon. But what disturbed him more was what he saw on the news that night.

"14 year old Alessa Gillespie was burned horribly in the fire that consumed her home... No casualties reported as of yet.... Mother, Dahlia Gillespie, is reputedly uninjured."

That, compounded with everything, made Kasey think. Everyone in the town he tried to speak to about that Cult was tight-lipped about it. No one wanted to say anything. He had heard, even, that the Chief of Police who was leading a crusade against the sale of the White Claudia drug had been killed. The autopsy report suggested it was natural causes.. a heart attack... but Kasey didn't think that was possible. He had met the Chief and associated with him on more than one occasion. The Chief was a robust man, whose wife was a health fanatic. Kasey had noticed that factor had rubbed off onto him. Plus, he was young... only 30... Kasey suspected that the Cult had something to do with it. He had, in the past few days, begun to keep a scrap book with all the information he could find on "N6". Perhaps it was his imagination running way with him, but he began to notice one too many connections.

"If heart attack.... Chemical? Hospital connection?"

That bothered him.

The next morning, Kasey decided to ask Lisa a question. "Did they take Alessa to the hospital that you work at?"

Lisa looked uncomfortable. "Well, it's a big hospital. But then again.. all the same, I probably would have heard something. No, I don't think so. She's probably been taken to Brookhaven."

"Brookhaven?" Kasey thought. "That doesn't sound right... that hospital is all the way on the other side of town." He said nothing, though. Instead he just smiled and said, "If you find out anything, let me know. I'm worried about her."

"Yeah," Lisa agreed. "I feel sorry for her."

But things have gone out of hand. That night, Kasey called the police.

"I have reason to believe that Alessa Gillespie's mother, Dahlia Gillespie, is involved with N6."

A pause on the other line.

Then: "We appreciate your call, Mr. Gordon, but we'd also appreciate it if you didn't tie up this line with speculations."

"The old Chief would've heard me out."

Gruffly: "The old Chief is dead!"

Whoever it was on the other line slammed down the phone. This made Kasey worry.

That evening, when Kasey returned home, he found signs of intrusion at his home. Cautiously, he stepped towards his door that lay ajar.. he felt adrenaline pique in his blood as his heart hammered, stepping over pieces of broken glass..

Someone attacked him. Someone dressed in black, with a hood over their face, lunged at him from the kitchen with a knife. The knife raked down and plunged into Kasey's shoulder, missing the chest region just barely as Kasey struggled against the man's – obviously a man – attack, moving to the side.

Kasey yelled as the pain penetrated his body, desperately trying to push the attacker off of him as the man tried to stab him again, missing only as Kasey managed to kick him off of him.

The man from across the street had heard the commotion and rushed to Kasey's door, then rushed in and helped pull the man off of Kasey. The man, seeing odds were against him, pulled away from the neighbor's grasp and ran out the back entrance.

"Let me get you to a hospital!"

"No!" Kasey stated adamantly. "I'm not going to any damn hospital. Help me up."

That was only the beginning.

Things only got worse for Kasey Gordon when a few weeks later.... things began to change.