DEPARTMENT OF ANOMALOUS PHENOMENA
CLEARANCE PROTOCOLS / TRAINING MANUAL (EXCERPT)
File ID: BAY-LTC-1969-01 / The Letchie
Classification: LEVEL 4 — CONTROLLED

CLEARANCE LEVELS — SECTOR BAY-19

  • Level 2 (Confidential): Authorized for supply transport, outer perimeter patrols. No entry into exclusion zone.

  • Level 3 (Controlled): Authorized for daylight survey and equipment maintenance at Sites BAY-19A/B.

  • Level 4 (Classified): Access to recovered tapes, acoustic logs, and incident reports.

  • Level 5+ (Restricted / Oversight): Directorate review only. Field engagement not permitted.

FIELD PROTOCOLS — DO / DO NOT

DO:

  • Operate in pairs during perimeter sweeps.

  • Use codenames, not personal names, over comms.

  • Maintain radio silence if anomalous humming is detected.

  • Log all acoustic anomalies with precise time stamps and environmental notes.

DO NOT:

  • Do not call out to voices in the field, even if recognized.

  • Do not use loudspeakers, playback equipment, or vocal bait inside exclusion zone.

  • Do not acknowledge folkloric accounts with locals beyond cover narrative.

  • Do not attempt rescue of personnel once auditory compulsion is evident—containment priority is preservation of team integrity.

MONSTER WEAKNESS (WORKING HYPOTHESES)

  • Unconfirmed: Entity shows disinterest in recorded voices once playback ends, suggesting it requires living vocal source.

  • Speculative: Sudden, overlapping choral sound may disrupt its mimicry (rumors of church groups reporting “silence” in otherwise active areas).

  • Ineffective Measures: Nets, electrified grids, and decoys show no engagement.

  • Cautionary Note: Entity is patient and adapts—counter-mimicry lures resulted in casualties. “Outspeak it” strategies are prohibited.

TRAINING NOTE TO NEW ASSIGNMENTS

“The swamp will try to talk to you. It will sound like someone you love. Your job is not to answer back. Your job is to come home.”

DEPARTMENT OF ANOMALOUS PHENOMENA
TRAINING MANUAL — SECTOR BAY-19
File ID: BAY-LTC-1969-01 / The Letchie
Classification: LEVEL 4 — CONTROLLED

MODULE 1 — ORIENTATION

  • Objective: Familiarize new personnel with anomaly BAY-LTC-1969-01.

  • Key Concept: This entity does not kill by force. It kills by recognition.

  • Operational Stance: Surveillance only. All capture attempts suspended.

MODULE 2 — AUDITORY CONTAGION

  • Symptoms of Exposure:

    • Hearing familiar voices in unfamiliar terrain.

    • Compulsion to respond verbally or physically.

    • Dissociation: sense of “echoing” oneself.

  • Protocol:

    • Immediate withdrawal upon first auditory anomaly.

    • Report symptom onset in writing, not verbally.

    • Any agent displaying compulsion is relieved of duty for minimum 72 hours.

MODULE 3 — VOICE HYGIENE

  • Field Standard: Personal names not spoken within exclusion zone.

  • Comms Protocol: Use call signs only (assigned on deployment).

  • Casual Speech: Minimized; unnecessary chatter increases risk of mimicry acquisition.

  • Forbidden Practices: Singing, humming, or whistling inside perimeter.

MODULE 4 — FIELD SILENCE DISCIPLINE

  • Pair Work: Always maintain line of sight. Do not separate on auditory cues.

  • Response Drill: If “called” by a familiar voice, agents recite code phrase “Not for me” and retreat in formation.

  • Acoustic Recorders: Monitored remotely; personnel forbidden from replaying anomalous audio while in field.

MODULE 5 — KNOWN VULNERABILITIES (UNCONFIRMED)

  • Group Choral Noise: Reports suggest collective singing (church hymns, work songs) temporarily suppresses anomalous humming. Effect not reliable; discouraged as official practice.

  • Daylight Hours: Entity rarely active during direct sun exposure. Operations restricted to daylight for this reason.

  • Environmental Stressors: No measurable effect from nets, fire, or electrification. Entity demonstrates indifference to material barriers.

MODULE 6 — CASE STUDY (1969 TAPES)

  • Evie █████ (Survivor, MISSING): Displayed partial resistance via emotional tether; lasted longer than partner before disappearance.

  • Isaac █████ (Survivor, MISSING): Exhibited compulsion through auditory hallucination of nonexistent brother; succumbed to lure.

  • Lesson Learned: Personal attachments are both shield and vulnerability. Agents must compartmentalize personal histories during deployment.

MODULE 7 — FINAL ADMONITION

“The Letchie thrives when you believe what you hear. Do not believe. Do not answer. If you feel recognition pulling you forward, remember: no voice in the swamp belongs to you.”

DEPARTMENT OF ANOMALOUS PHENOMENA
SECTOR BAY-19 FIELD CARD
File ID: BAY-LTC-1969-01 / The Letchie
Classification: LEVEL 4 — CONTROLLED

RULES OF SURVIVAL

  1. Do not speak personal names inside exclusion zone.

  2. Do not answer voices. If you hear someone you know → Not for me.

  3. Pairs only. Maintain visual contact. No exceptions.

  4. Daylight operations only. No entry after sundown.

  5. Radio silence on anomalies. Log later, not live.

  6. No singing, humming, or whistling.

  7. If partner is called: recite “Not for me” together, withdraw.

  8. If compulsion sets in: partner restrains, abort mission.

KNOWN FACTS

  • Entity ignores dummies, nets, and machines.

  • Entity wants voices, not bodies.

  • Survivors describe cold hands, no teeth.

  • Corpses recovered: bloodless, intact.

CODE PHRASE

NOT FOR ME = anomaly detected, retreat in formation.

FINAL NOTE

“The swamp will lie in a voice you trust. Do not trust it. Do not follow.”