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The Finley Expedition
By Tseko

       Nearing the end of the 19th century, a wealthy patron had commissioned well-respected adventurer, Captain Douglas Finley, to explore the depths of the African rainforest on his behalf.  Not wasting any time, Captain Finley immediately assembled a small expedition party and departed for regions unknown.
      
       Everything seemed to go well at first, Finley had promised to return within four months time with magnificent discoveries. However, no communications had transpired within this time. Nothing was ever heard from him again.
      
       Some five months after the ill-fated party departed, the patron ordered a search party organized and dispatched them to investigate the whereabouts of Finley�s expedition. Within a month�s time, the search party produced very little to go on. All they had were several eyewitness accounts; the local dockworkers attest that that the captain and his crew were indeed seen at port, the local merchant testified that they gathered provisions at his establishment. The innkeeper at port also asserts that they stayed at the inn while seeking a competent guide. There was however, nothing else. The expedition was nowhere to be found. It was presumed that they had succumbed to untimely deaths, perhaps by illness, or cannibals, while exploring the depths of the rainforest.
      
       It was perhaps by chance that some months later, a different expedition party, under the helm of explorer  Thomas Newell, was able to stumble upon one extraordinary item; a ledger that bore Captain Finley�s name.  Newell had indeed heard of the disappearance of Finley�s expedition; in fact, his sponsor had requested Newell to investigate the matter when convenient.  
      
       Newell and his crew had been trekking uncharted jungle territory for nine days when they came upon a small clearing at the base of a mountain, devoid of trees, but shaded under the jungle canopy. It had the appearance of an old ruin of sorts. There were three structures carved out of the mountain around the open area. Each one covered with spots of moss and had the appearance of a meager shanty with only two openings, one small �window,� no bigger than a football,  perhaps able to fit a small animal, but certainly not a man, the other was an entrance of sorts, with other rocks strewn about the outside of it. Newell believed it to be the remnants of a lost tribe.
      
       Closer inspection of one of the �cave-houses� uncovered Captain Finley�s journal, lodged within a groove on the mountain wall. It was filthy and damaged, but such a find is a blessing because it is the only link to the vanished crew. Newell ordered his crew to set up camp nearby while he began to peruse the captain�s notes. Much to his chagrin, the damage made most of it unreadable, but a few lines out of the captain�s script were just barely legible.

March 3rd
We are making landfall soon, it is fortunate that the weather, though hot and humid, has been calm thus far. Richard-

March 4th
We made port today and purchased enough provisions to last us- Our search for a guide has not yielded positive results thus far, we shall contin-

March 7th
We found for ourselves a guide, it was certainly a very difficult search as the innkeeper offers that many of the locals considered the jungles taboo. He advises us to explore elsewhere as there have been a few disappearances-
-have nothing to fear-

March 9th
Final preparations are complete, we embark tomorrow at dawn. The team is in good spirits-

March 11th
We are getting deeper into the jungle as the days-
Stanley tripped on a tree branc-
-muddy.
Gathered fruits for supper-

March 12th
We have been exploring for 4 days, nothing noteworthy has surfaced, but these jungles will soon yield its secrets to us.-

March 14th
John caught a snake earlier today, our guide prepared it for us. First he-
-and it tasted horrible, my provisions-

March 16th?
Richard and I awoke inside a cave of some sort; our effects and provisions are untouched-
-do not recall anything from the previous night-
-door barricaded with large rocks-
-late at night we heard drumming and chanting outside, we tried calling to our captors but they make no effort to communicate-
-light, possibly a bonfire. Smoke is coming through the-
March XX
-and I are alive, the smoke did not do us in.-
-hear John and Stanley yelling in the distance. He was calling for us. We tried calling back but-
-could hear growling outside of the cave, we dared not escape for fear of-
We heard the drums and chants again that evening. I wonder if we will ever escape-
The smoke is seeping into the cav-

March XX
It is possibly our third day of captivity, we are all still safe as of now.-
-tried to gather information about our captors-
We held a mirror at the window to-
-reflection, and we couldn�t believe our eyes, they were beasts, standing erect-
-dropped our mirror outside-

March XX
Heard the chanting again last night, the beastmen-
I fear that the situation has taken a turn for the worse, John and Stanley have fallen silent-
- wonder about the guide-

March XX
It seems that the beastmen will perform their ceremony every night, until the smoke puts us out and-
Richard fell ill last night-
-temperature and developing dark spots on his body, his nails have turned dark,-
-growing out-

       And nothing more is written, the following pages are scratched and torn beyond recognition. Newell turned and turned until the last page, the rest of it was totally incomprehensible.  He closed the book and promptly hid it among his belongings, deciding that no one must ever know of the existence of Finley�s journal.  Newell pondered the fate of the expedition well into the night; what became of the Finley party?  How much of the journal is true? �
      
       Meanwhile, just on the outskirts of their camp, the Newell camp was being watched�