Of course, it’s not all good news in Arkham’s newest neighborhood…

Clipping from the Arkham Advertiser newspaper front page with the headline "Waterfront District Awash with Murders" and a photograph of Water Street.

WATERFRONT DISTRICT AWASH WITH MURDERS

District A Ghost Town at Night

An alarming series of murders and mysterious disappearances has deluged the Waterfront District with fear. Police have made no arrests. Citizens are afraid to go out after dark. One question lingers on everyone’s minds: who will be next?

Gruesome Discoveries

Barely a week has passed since the first of the horrendous crimes was reported in this newspaper. In last Thursday’s early morning hours, located in an alley one block north of the train yards, a group of workers on their way to their shift came across the later-identified body of Jeremy Mandrell. His body was in a state of extreme exsanguination, testifying to the perverted imagination of his killer.

More disturbing yet was the lack of blood at the scene. Police have concluded that Mr. Mandrell was murdered elsewhere and his body then abandoned at the current crime scene. This has raised ominous questions. In what frightful lair was the victim sequestered and then done away with? Where is the fiend hiding? Does he walk the streets with impunity while making his home in a house of horrors?

Frightful Tally

Since then, three more murders have been committed. Patrick Lu, Elaine Wallace and Forrest Nelson have all met terrible demises. Though the precise nature of their wounds has varied, the state of their bodies again suggests displacement. Is this the work of one murderer or several?

The questions become even more urgent given the evidence of more unreported deaths that haven’t yet been properly investigated. Vittoria Maldonado, Elbert Drury and Jonathan Pomalla have been missing for two, three and five days respectively. Their families and neighbors fear the worst, yet the police have given them little to no sympathy.

Even as the Arkham city councilors have fought to reassure residents of the Waterfront District’s safety, especially after the recent catastrophic storm surge, no amount of renovation can soothe Arkhamites’ worries. Instead, many wonder if the district has opened up opportunities for the nefarious to slink into Arkham, instead.

Once more, the new district finds itself under a cloud of anxiety and suspicion. At night, Waterfront appears eerily deserted. The streets and canals are empty, doors are locked, and windows are tightly shuttered. Shops are changing hours to reflect this state of fear.

Whether citizens toil at the train yards, the river docks, or the New Horizons Meat Packing facility, the newly acquired habits of the residents are the same. They rush home as quickly as possible, racing behind the security of their doors before nightfall. Those working late shifts do everything they can to travel to and from their employment in groups. Rare now is the citizen of Waterfront who dares to walk the dark streets alone.

Living in Fear

Asked for her thoughts on the situation, Miss Isabella Hardt of Water Street said, “Everybody is so afraid. They just keep turning up missing. My sister has come to stay with me and we daren’t go out alone. Not ever. I’m just so terrified of turning up missing too!”

If the first question on residents’ minds is “who will be next?” then the second is “what are the police doing about this?” Frustration over the lack of arrests is palpable. “The police don’t care ’cause we ain’t the fancy crowd,” said Miss Hardt, a perception shared by many this reporter spoke with. “Not like we livin’ on French Hill.”

Detective Reynolds of the Arkham Police Department wishes it to be known that this is most emphatically not the case. “We are taking these murders very seriously,” he said, when asked to comment.

“Arkham P.D. is determined to track down those responsible for these crimes. Be assured, we will succeed, and the murderer—or murderers—will face the full might of justice.”

When asked for updates on the investigation’s progress, Detective Reynolds said that leads were being followed, but offered no further details.

He went on to say that if any member of the public has any information that could help in solving these crimes, they should come forward immediately.

“We will make the streets of Waterfront safe again,” he added.

Children of Blood is available August 14 from Fantasy Flight Games.

Download your full copy of the Arkham Advertiser, filled with even more articles to educate, entertain and tease the most dedicated of news readers.

Arkham Advertiser Download Banner.