gallows hill 3 // swing by your neck
// hello? are you there?
// i’m always here.
// i found one of those names you mentioned. connor rathburn.
// i’m not surprised. this one hasn’t taken many steps to hide himself. none of them have.
// are you going to kill him like you killed missy kendall?
// that depends. dig into his personal files and see if you find any mention of the hartford witch trials.
// and if i find it? what then?
// then i do what needs to be done.
// i don’t have to obey you, you know. i could protect this person from you.
// laughable. remember, it’s your life or his. the only way to leave this place is to do what i say.
// …
// alright. let me check his files.
Initializing link: outlook.office.com/mail/inbox...
Accessing profile: crath2@████████.edu...
Accessing Sent Items folder…
E-mail retrieved.
From: crath2@████████.edu
To: deanhopkins@████████.edu
Subject: Gallows Hill concerns
Sun 3/7/21 4:35 pm
Dean Hopkins --
Hope the semester finds you well. I know we’ve had several months now to adjust to this whole hybrid learning thing, but I have to confess, I still find it strange to be teaching mostly through a computer screen. The students have been handling it as well as we could hope, which I trust you’re finding on your end.
I’m writing to you for a couple of reasons, both related to the Gallows Hill facilities. I’m aware that we had to restructure our office arrangements due to concerns with the ventilation in the old English building. (Trust the pandemic to make everything difficult). I understand that Gallows Hill was the only building with enough rooms to accommodate our department and store the film equipment. I’m not criticizing your team’s administration skills; you did what needed to be done.
My main concern is that the Gallows Hill building has had its fair share of issues lately. There have been problems with access cards not working, the central heating frequently dying, a sewer stench coming from the men’s room; the list goes on. If we’re expected to use this space until the pandemic is over, it simply needs to be in better shape. I’m happy to detail the issues with you further once we’ve found someone to take a closer look at the facilities.
Also - if I may be so blunt - I think it’s about time we discuss changing the name of the building. Gallows Hill was a crucial part of this area’s history, yes, and the campus itself was built on the site of the old hanging grounds during the Hartford witch trials. But I would argue that the history in question is not worth honoring. In fact, it seems callous - if not insulting - to have a constant reminder on campus of this grisly and shameful period. I suggest we rename the building after someone more deserving of remembrance: an abolitionist, maybe, or a civil rights activist. I might be overstepping my bounds a little here, but I think it’s worth bringing to the table.
That’s all for now. I look forward to hearing from you.
Best,
Connor Rathburn
Professor of Film Studies
// damn it all.
// what’s wrong?
// he hasn’t forgotten about the trials. if anything, he seems determined to bring them back into the public discourse. these academics... if they bother to dig any deeper, they may discover what i’ve been trying to bury.
// and what is that, exactly?
// none of your concern. at least, not yet. just focus on tracking down the others.
// what are you going to do to rathburn?
// what needs to be done.
//
// are you still there?
//
// so much for “always being here.”
// as long as you’re gone, i guess i’ll look more into this rathburn...
Initializing link: outlook.office.com/mail/inbox...
Accessing profile: crath2@████████.edu...
Accessing Deleted Items folder…
E-mail retrieved.
From: crath2@████████.edu
To: hperry@████████.edu
Subject: Tonight
Tues 3/9/21 8:46 am
Harrison --
I know we said we were going to stay lowkey this semester, but life is getting so stressful these days, and I need to see you. Keeping this distance is taking its toll on me. I know it’s been the same for you. I could see it in your face when you looked at me during class yesterday.
It has to be discreet, as always. I’ll be in my office tonight around 10:30 after the rest of the faculty has gone home for the night. Don’t use your ID to access the building - I’ll prop open the front door for you. Bring a notebook and backpack so it looks like you’re just using the lounge to study. Once you’re sure you’re alone, come upstairs and find me.
I miss you so much. I’ll be counting down the hours until I see you again.
Love,
Connor
// interesting…
Initializing link: outlook.office.com/mail/inbox...
Accessing profile: crath2@████████.edu...
Accessing Deleted Items folder…
E-mail retrieved.
From: crath2@████████.edu
To: hperry@████████.edu
Subject: Be careful
Fri 3/12/21 7:35 pm
Harrison --
I think I’m being watched. At first I thought I was just being paranoid, but there’s definitely someone hanging out in this building who gives me the creeps. I think it’s a student but I can’t tell because he’s always wearing a black hoodie that hides his face. Ever since we met on Tuesday I’ve been seeing him in the main lounge reading this old dusty book from the library. He sits there for hours. I couldn’t see more than a glimpse of the title but it seems to be about witches. (Given the name of this building, it’s a little too on the nose for comfort.)
I’ve never seen him enter or leave the building. It got to the point where I checked in with campus safety to look at the footage from the security cameras. He never uses the front door of the lounge - he always just appears from offscreen and goes to his spot to read. The weirdest thing is that he doesn’t show up on any of the other cameras, and anytime his face comes into view, there’s a glare in the footage. Campus safety doesn’t think he’s anyone worth worrying about, but I believe differently. I’m starting not to feel safe in my own office.
If we meet up again, you have to be careful. Whoever this guy is, I have a feeling he’s here to keep an eye on me. Maybe Hopkins caught word of what we’re doing and sent someone to catch us in the act. I don’t really know what to think. All I know is that I want you to be safe. I couldn’t bear to think about something happening to you.
Love,
Connor
Initializing link: outlook.office.com/mail/inbox...
Accessing profile: crath2@████████.edu...
Accessing Deleted Items folder…
E-mail retrieved.
From: crath2@████████.edu
To: hperry@████████.edu
Subject: (no subject)
Sat 3/13/21 10:14 pm
Oh god Harrison I hope you get this.
I was leaving the English building tonight after staying late to watch the midterm documentaries for our class. Don’t tell the other students but there were some real snoozers in there - I actually drifted off. It was dark by the time I woke up. I can’t be sure but I think it was around 9:30. I was still a little woozy but I packed up my laptop and textbooks and headed back to the office to put away my things.
I was halfway across the main quad when I got this undeniable sense that I was being watched. I looked around and sure enough, the student in the black hoodie who’s been lurking around Gallows Hill all week was staring at me from the long walk. I didn’t want to make it seem like I was scared so I didn’t go any faster, just turned back to the quad and kept walking. Then I glanced back and saw him less than a hundred feet away. I swear, he’d crossed the distance without making a sound. This time I did pick up the pace.
I don’t know how but there was no one else out here tonight. I know campus has been pretty empty since half the student body’s quarantining but it was still fucking eerie. I passed underneath the elm trees and looked back one more time. The kid had somehow halved the distance between us. I still couldn’t see his face, but there was something in his hands. It was a noose. The loop swung back and forth with each step he took.
That was when I started running. I don’t know if the kid was following me too because I sure as hell wasn’t looking back again. I booked it across the lower quad and headed straight for Gallows Hill. Then I ran inside, slammed the door shut, and pushed a lounge chair in front of the entrance. When I looked up, he was staring at me through the window, still holding that fucking noose. Then he pulled down his hood, and his face -
I know it wasn’t you, Harrison. It couldn’t be you. But the guy outside was wearing your face like a mask. He didn’t smile or anything, didn’t leer at me, just stood there and stared.
I backed away and headed straight for my office. Once I was inside, I barricaded the door and frantically called campus safety. I’m still here now. Campo hasn’t arrived yet and I’m afraid of what’ll happen if they get here too late. That student, that thing out there, I know it’ll find a way inside eventually. Because it’s done that before. I don’t know if it’s a demon or a monster or some other fucking nightmare, but I’m convinced it’s not human. It can’t be. The alternative is that you’re standing out there, brandishing that noose, and I just can’t see how the hell that could be possible…
Please stay safe. Lock your doors and call for help if you hear anything strange in your dorm. I’ll be right here waiting for security to arrive, and as soon as I’m safe, I’ll let you know.
I love you. And I know it’s not you. I know it.
-- Connor
// you’ve been doing some snooping, i see.
// i’m only doing what you asked me to. was this you?
// i think you can put two and two together.
// this was the most recent message i could find in rathburn’s files. what happened after this? did he ever contact harrison again?
// you won’t find anything by scouring that folder anymore. try branching out.
// why can’t you just answer a simple question?
// because it’s best that you see for yourself.
Initializing link: outlook.office.com/mail/inbox...
Accessing profile: deanhopkins@████████.edu...
Accessing Sent Items folder…
E-mail retrieved.
From: deanhopkins@████████.edu
To: film.faculty@████████.edu
Subject: Connor Rathburn & Harrison Perry
Sun 3/14/21 9:34 am
Friends and colleagues --
I’m deeply sorry to tell you that last night, two members of our community (Professor Connor Rathburn and his student, Harrison Perry) were both found to have taken their own lives. Professor Rathburn was discovered in his Gallows Hill office late in the evening. He had called campus safety earlier to express concerns of a stalker on campus, although there were no signs of struggle at the scene, and police did not find any suspicious fingerprints around his office.
Mr. Perry was also found in his dorm room early this morning. The police have labeled both of these deaths as suicides. It’s unclear how these two unfortunate incidents are related, if at all, but it certainly has come as quite a shock to many of us on campus.
It’s only a matter of time before the news spreads to the student body, so I ask you to please remember that on-campus counseling services are always available for both students and faculty to take advantage of, and I encourage you to inform your classes of these resources if needed. It’s never easy to lose a member of our academic community, let alone two at once, so let’s do our best to support each other in the wake of this tragedy.
Yours,
James Hopkins
Dean of Students
// why are you murdering these people? what the hell is wrong with you?
// i’m just cleaning up some loose ends. something i should have done a long time ago.
// you’re a goddamn psychopath.
// do you really think you’re any better?
// what’s that supposed to mean?
// there’s a reason i chose you for this little research project, you know. your record isn’t as clean as you may think.
// i… what? what do you know about me?
// more than enough.
// tell me, damn you. tell me who i am.
// no, i don’t think i will. not yet. if you do your job, if you track down the rest of those names for me, then i might change my mind.
// so i have to help you murder these innocent people? fuck you.
// as i said, you’re not in a position to act so high and mighty. don’t forget that your freedom is on the line - as is your life. i have no qualms about doing to you what i did to connor and harrison.
// damn you. DAMN YOU.
// spare me. just post this to the usual site. we have work to do.