[UA] Screams from Nowhere

[John C]

>Just as I was about to sign off, I had an idea for a "Screams from Nowhere"
>UA scenario.  The backstory is... it's a hoax.  Some sick punko hid five or
>six loudspeakers in hollow trees, thickets, underground... or maybe up in
>the tops of trees where a human would be obvious.  He just rotates the
>signal through different speakers to keep people distracted.  There's
>nothing paranormal going on at all.
>
>Hm... there's the seed.  How does it grow?  Maybe he's doing it as a
>distraction so he can break into houses while the police are off searching.
>  Or maybe he's just a bastard.
>
>Perhaps the conflict with the PCs arises when various occult investigators
>show up and start to squabble among themselves.
>
>Anyone else got an idea on where to go with this?  I'd really like to see
>more UA scenarios where the paranormal element turns out to be a red
>herring.  (Scully/Scooby scenarios instead of Mulder ones.)  Granted, they
>are a lot harder to write.

"I'd have gotten away with it, too, if it hadn't been for those meddling 
Pornomancers!"

If the punk in question has commited murder, chopping up some poor guy and 
burying him in the basement, he could have taped his victim's screams.  By 
playing them as you propose, he might be trying to provide a "rational" 
explanation for his disappearance and pull attention away from himself.  
He'd be doomed, but if he's crazy and/or desperate enough, he might actually 
believe that it would work.  Another Fortean turns to the dark side....

Option two might be a kidnap victim.  What was that Patterson book?  _Kiss 
the Girls_?  The pyscho in this book has a secret underground lair where he 
keeps his victims.  Perhaps muffled cries might be audible on the surface, 
through some convuluted venelation system, even though the screamer would be 
unable to hear any shouted replies?

John Crimmins                     john1x at hotmail.com
     http://www.voicenet.com/~johncrim/index.html

   "We're not at home to Mr. Reasonable, sergeant."
   "I do not hear him knockin', sir."
    --Terry Pratchett, _The Fifth Elephant_

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