A group of three childhood friends, Damon, Clay, and Elizabeth, are walking to a local diner, getting ready to film an interview with each other. Talking and reminiscing about their odd childhood growing up on a ranch that Damon’s grandfather owned. They walk in, order, and once they are done eating, they start to ask each other questions about their childhood that might answer some questions.

“So, do you want to tell us where it all began?” asks Clay, holding a camera up to Damon.

“Well, when me and my brother were younger, we would always help out on our grandfather's ranch.” responds Damon.

“There was always a weird feeling being there. Nothing really went on there. We were told there were some places we couldn’t go and we listened for the most part.” tells Elizabeth.

“I remember always being rushed to leave at night. We were never really told why. But I remember one night I decided to stay. Some scientists pulled up in a van. These guys were new. You never saw anyone new on the ranch.” says Clay.

“My brother Calvin and I were always really close. But it was evident that our grandfather enjoyed his company more. I mean, I guess I was jealous but I always looked up to Calvin. No matter what. But a lot of our earlier memories go back to that ranch. There were a lot of signs of something more sinister going on. But we were just kids at the time. We didn’t know any better.”

“Do you want to tell us what happened to Calvin?” asks Clay

“Well he uh… he went off to do some government research at a secret facility.. Top secret stuff. He never really talked about work much.” He laughs to himself, “I don’t think he was allowed to talk about work. Then we got distant. It went from rarely a text or call from him to never hearing from him again. But I do know this, whatever is going on behind the scenes at the ranch, the facility is the ranch.”

“Then what happened? You don’t have to say if you don’t want to.” responds Clay not trying to make it seem he’s trying to pry info. 

“No it’s uh, it's fine. He uh, he just disappeared. Never thought I would hear from him again. That is, until we got this.” He pauses and looks down to the side of him as if he was grabbing something out of his backpack. He pulls out a vhs tape he was given by his brother.

“The last contact I had ever made with Calvin was when he gave me this tape. So whatever happened to him, has to do with what’s on this tape.” He says confidently.

“So what do we do now?” Asks Clay and Elizabeth. 

“We go to the ranch and find him.”

It’s sunset. A soft breeze blows against the trees. The road leading up to the entrance of the ranch is bumpy. Feeling as if there had been something buried underneath not intended to be found. Something sinister. Clay, Damon, and Elizabeth walk to the gate with a lantern, and a camera ready to document their findings. 

“Are you guys ready?” asks Damon.

“Hold on” says Elizabeth, “let me grab my backpack. We may need something from it.”

“Got your backpack?” asks Damon

“Yup.” responds Elizabeth excitedly. Almost like a child getting ready to go see their grandparents.

“Camera is up and running” says Damon following behind Clay and Elizabeth.

“Let's go find your brother” responds Clay. 

 They prepare themselves for the discoveries they hope to make and begin to make their way into the ranch. As they are walking to the middle of the ranch, Clay recognises something from when he was younger and was living on the ranch.

“Guys wait. Over here.” he says.

“What is it?” asks Elizabeth.

“It’s the old tack shed where I saw the scientists go into. Remember how I stayed out at night and didn’t leave?”

“Yeah, why?” asks Damon, wondering where this is going. 

“I saw them carrying a laptop. So maybe that laptop would have some information on what happened to Cavin and what they were really doing on this ranch.” responds Clay hopeful of his answer

“Ok lets go check it out then!” responds Damon just wanting to get any information on the whereabouts of his brother. They walk into the shed and find a row of lockers. The shed is dusty. It looks like it hasn’t been used in years. Only one light works and the wood floor smells like something is growing in it. The air is damp and has a weird organic smell to it. Elizabeth grabs a crowbar she brought in her backpack and prepares to pry the locker open. 

“Got it.” says Elizabeth with a bit of struggle in her voice from prying it open.

“Told you guys it would be in here.” says Clay reaching for a thumb drive and a laptop. Calvin grabs the laptop almost expecting it to turn on. It somehow still had battery left in it. 

“Here, Elizabeth, take the camera.” Damon begins reading the documents contained on the laptop. 

“You guys… listen to this. Project Anthropos.”

“What is it?” asks Clay.

“Maybe a bioweapon of some sort. It doesn't specifically say here. What the hell was going o-” says Damon only to be cut off by Clay rapidly jumping up and grabbing the camera to go outside. Damon and Elizabeth run after him, practically tripping over each other.

“Dude what was that for?” exclaims Elizabeth.

“You guys didn’t hear that?” asks Clay.

“Hear what?” asks Damon frustratedly.

“What?” says Clay. “I can’t be losing my mind. I know I heard somethi-. Wait! There it is again!” exclaims Clay running towards another tack shed.

“Where are you going?! There’s nothing over there!” yells Damon. Clay runs towards the tack shed only to be stopped dead in his tracks. The camera is pointed towards a lanky fingered black hand. Looking to be reaching from the corner, it slowly grabs the edge of the shed with each finger slowly and methodically. This gives Damon and Elizabeth enough time to catch up with Clay.

“What was it?” Damon asks, starting to get worried for Clay. Clay turns around slowly, looking as if he had just woken up from a nap.

“I-I don’t know. I must’ve blacked out. But that hasn’t happened to me since I was a kid.” Clay regains control. “Something is off here. I can feel it.”

“It’s not just you,” says Elizabeth quietly, “this place always put me off too.”

“So, we all felt it.” responds Damon. Elizabeth reaches back for the camera. There is a moment of silence between the group. Each of them exchange looks with each other. Clay starts walking off by himself. Damon and Elizabeth stay a little further back from him. Some time passes as the group walks towards another shed to explore. 

“Have you noticed Clay acting a bit…off, since he ‘blacked out’?” Damon asks Elizabeth.

“Yeah, he has been talking to himself a lot more since.” responds Elizabeth

It looks as if Clay is trying to fight something. Not physically, but mentally. Something in his head. Shaking his head in a no manner. The group walks towards a series of empty stables. Clay at this point is no longer talking to himself. He’s just quiet. Damon and Elizabeth are now behind Clay a good couple feet. Just taking extra safety precautions in case something happens. Clay walks by a slightly ajar shed door. The group doesn’t notice the light turn on. As Damon walks past it the light turns off. As Elizabeth passes it there is a loud bang coming from the door. The group turns around scared, not knowing what could have possibly made that noise. They turn around and Clay is right face front of the camera. Damon and Elizabeth start walking back. 

“Clay, are you ok?” asks Elizabeth slowly. Clay doesn’t respond. Instead he lunges towards the other two. Damon and Elizabeth doge towards the left and right causing Clay to miss and trip over himself. 

“Run!” yells Damon. Elizabeth and Damon run towards an open tack shed, not checking to see if Clay is even chasing them. They slam the door shut and block it. 

“What just happened?!” yelled Damon.

“Shut up!” whispers Elizabeth back. She uses the camera to see if Clay is still out there. Clay is seen walking slowly past the shed. Something begins to bang on the walls of the shed, almost seeming to alert Clay where the other two are. Damon and Elizabeth are frozen. Elizabeth looks out.

“I think we're safe.” she says. Damon is seen pacing back and forth. 

“Whatever that… thing that just attacked us was, isn’t Clay. Didn’t he say he heard a noise before he went crazy?” asks Damon.

“Yeah, why?” says Elizabeth, not piecing the puzzle together.

“Remember in the tape how the interviewee went crazy after hearing a noise?” says Damon.

“Yeah why-wait. You don’t think that Clay is experiencing the same thing do you?” asks Elizabeth.

“We need to go find Clay.” says Damon.

“WHAT!” yells Elizabeth, “Why?! He just attacked us!”

“Because maybe if we can fix Clay, if I can figure out what’s really going on here, maybe I can find Calvin.” he responds.

“Calvin’s dead!” yells Elizabeth. There’s a long pause. It's quiet. “He’s not coming back.” she says softly.

“Well I’m going either with or without you.” Damon responds frustrated.

“Fine. I’ll come with you. Not because I think we can find Clay. But because I don’t want you to die too.” she says.

“Alright then. Let's go.” Damon and Elizabeth start walking around the ranch trying to find Clay. 

“Claaaaay! Where are you?!” yells Damon. 

“Shhhhh. Remember to keep it down. There might be something here.” reminds Elizabeth.

“He’s got to be around here. He has to be.” says Damon. 

“He’s probably not here…wait, do you hear that?” Asks Elizabeth already starting to walk off on her own. 

“No I don’t hear anything- wait not you too! This isn’t you! Listen to me please!” Exclaims Damon trying to bring back Elizabeth. It’s too late. She’s already wandered too far for Damon to be heard. It’s too dark to see where Elizabeth went specifically. Only a general direction was Damon’s lead to finding his friend. As Damon rushes to find Elizabeth he stumbles upon a still Clay and Elizabeth, almost looking like they are talking to each other. Just standing there, menacingly.

“Clay, I knew you’d be here.” Damon’s speech progressively gets slower and slower. “C’mon. We can still… find…Calvin…” Damon is still. The camera drops to the floor. Damon begins walking towards Clay and Elizabeth. The dark figure is once again seen behind them. Almost supervising them. They walk off in the distance. Then, the camera starts moving. But who is messing with it? The camera slowly gets to a level state. We can hear someone dusting it off and inspecting it to make sure it isn’t damaged. 

“This is Dr. Calvin Athen. Yeah. Uh-huh. We got what we needed. I’ll see you soon.”