The E-Files File 1: The Pilot
Chapter 1

Swingston Estate Forrest, 
Pikeville, Kentucky.

  Thunder crashed through the sky making Josh jump. He knew he shouldn't 
be here. They had told him he shouldn't be here and that was exactly why 
he had headed here. He heard a voice floating on the tumultuous wind. It 
was his sister, Suzanne. Damn! he thought. Had she followed him out of 
the house? Had she seen what he wanted so desperately to conceal?
  "Joshie, Jooshiee!" she called through the abandoned house. I know 
you're here. Come out, come out wherever you are!" Josh glanced around 
quickly to find a hiding place. A brief flash of light made him turn 
sharply. He was yanked off his feet and crashed heavily onto the 
floorboards. There was a slow creak as the wood began to splinter. Time 
ran into treacle as he flailed ineffectually at the floor which was 
suddenly rushing up around him.
  The light shone once again through the window. Josh had to turn his 
head to stop himself from being blinded. The darkness was now coated 
with purple and blue after images. Josh felt the panic rise. Had his 
parents sent the police out looking for him? He had only been gone for 
a few hours, surely even his parents wouldn't be that anxious after that 
amount of time.
  Was it a police helicopter outside? He couldn't be sure as the light 
made everything outside impossible to identify. A plan for escape leapt 
into his mind and he tried to get up. In this instant Josh realised with 
numb certainty that his legs were no longer any use. A gash in his left 
leg smiled an ugly red grin where a sliver of wood had caught him on the 
way down. Panic rose from the base of his spine. Should he call out for 
his sister? That would reveal his whereabouts and he didn't want to do 
that. But he couldn't see any other way out of it. Of all the stupid dumb
luck!  He knew to be cautious in this house but the shock of his sister 
turning up and the previous argument had made him reckless. Now he was 
going to be found out.
  He listened for his sister's voice to try and see if she was close but 
all he could hear was the sounds of the oak trees scratching against the 
fractured windows and the occaisional piece of debris striking the floor 
from above. The light continued to etch patterns into Josh's eyes even 
when he had them closed. The silence was eerie in contrast to the thunderous 
uproar the had preceded it. Only the wind was left, a lone voice calling 
forlornly through the woods
  Suzanne suddenly started to call him again. The sudden noise made him wet 
himself. He started to moan silently to himself.  He was in real trouble now 
if his friends found out that he was so scared that his sister's voice made him 
pee his pants he would never hear the last of it. A thought occurred to him.
He could convince his stupid sister to not tell anyone about the things that
had happened here tonight. They could tell his parents that he had fallen 
in the woods. He was always doing that. Yeah! His sister was only seven she 
would do what he told her to do.
  The strangely silent helicopter intensified its beam of light, this 
coincided with his sister's playful calls mutating into a shrill scream. 
This unpleasant noise went on for longer than Josh felt comfortable about. 
What was happening to her? The scream vanished abruptly along with the light. 
Josh was momentarily blind but managed to make out an indistinct object flying 
off at impossible velocity. The pain in his left leg intensified as a brick 
shattered his shin.  His vision blurred and imaginary stars wheeled across his
world as he passed into unconsciousness.
  A number of small fires encircled the rundown house before, one by one, 
they were extinguished as a light breeze stirred the flames.
  Silence.

Chapter 2

  The foyer of the Federal Bureau of Investigation was teeming with bodies.  
Special agent Dana Scully had trouble getting through the throngs of people.  
She knew she was already late for her briefing with three senior agents and the 
crowds weren't improving her temper.  When she finally got through she realised 
that she had forgotten her badge and had to wait another five minutes for security
to let her in to the main part of the Bureau.
  A deadly hush awaited her in the briefing room.
  "Sorry I'm late, but the traffic was terrible." she said as she took her place 
at the round table.
  There were two men, one noticeably old, and one woman sitting at the table, they 
looked impassively at her and almost immediately started asking her questions.
  "Are you familiar with the so called E-files?" asked the woman.
  "Yes," Scully broadly answered in an inquisitive tone, paused, then continued, 
"they are the files which document the cases which, should the public ever find 
out about the content of, would cause masss hysteria due to their peculiar nature."
she replied.
  "Have you heard of Special Agent Mulder?" inquired the elder man.
  "Only by reputation.  He has made a name for himself in the academy by solving cases
with next to no leads and improbable solutions." a distant smile flashed across 
her face, "at the academy he had a nickname, Spooky."
  "You have been chosen to debunk his files, Agent Scully.  You shall report to 
us at the end of each case with a report on the validity of Agent Mulder's work.  
You may now go and meet your new partner, here are the keys.", Scully deftly 
caught the keys before they hit the table.  She couldn't help but notice that they
for a room in the basement.
  The door that lay in front of her was a scruffy door.  Its paint was starting to 
peel off in one corner and was a stark contrast to the doors of the offices in the 
rest of the Bureau.  She knocked tentatively on the door.  "Sorry, Martians only 
meet here on Thursdays!" Scully couldn't help but smile at this self depreciating
remark.  She pushed the door open and was greeted by walls covered with UFO 
paraphernalia and assorted weird magazines with titles like Mysteries Uncovered!
or Alien monthly.  The room was in darkness except for a small desk lamp which 
allowed Scully to see the walls and the room's occupant.  
  Sitting at an incredibly untidy desk was a man in his late twenties. He was 
holding a plastic skull and chewing some gum.
  "Aaahh.  Doctor Scully I presume.  So who did you shoot?"
  "Sorry?" said Scully, not understanding what he was talking about.
  "Well why else would you be here unless you had done something really bad?"
  "I believe that I was picked because they thought someone with medical training 
would be able to assist you in your investigations."
  "But it's not what you believe that matters in these files Agent Scully. Take a 
look at this." Mulder said as he rose from his chair and reached for a dusty file 
protruding from an even dustier cabinet. 
  "In Pikeville, Kentucky, three children have gone missing. Each time a brother or
a sister were present when it happened. The local police have accused the children
of killing their siblings but there is no evidence." 
  "So?"
  "The only thing linking all three crimes are the scorch marks left around the 
sites that the children have disappeared from.  The police have put this down to 
simple log fires and have also accused the children of cannibalism." 
  "Why are we getting involved?" 
  "Because this file was sent to the Bureau, but for some unknown reason it came 
straight to me."  
  "Could be a clerical error." 
  "I thought so too, that's why I asked Dominic to check for me."
  A man, slightly younger than Mulder, walked in.  He put a clipboard and a pen on 
top of Mulder's already cluttered desk.
  "There was no error Agent Mulder, the file was specifically marked to come to you." 
  "Thanks.  Could you book me two tickets to Pikeville, Kentucky? Leaving as soon as 
possible."
  "Sure, no problem."
  Dominic picked up his clipboard and left the office.
  "Looks like we're on our way to our first case together Agent Scully. I wonder if 
you'll rise to the challenge?"
  Scully gave Mulder an incredulous look as she left the room.

Chapter 3

Pikeville, Kentucky.
16:37

  The sounds of raised voices greeted Mulder and Scully as their dark blue car pulled
up alongside the local police headquarters. The police station was in a state of 
disrepair. The windows were opaque from years of grime and the gardens in a state of 
neglect that neither of the agents had ever seen before.
  "Look's like my old bedroom" commented Mulder. Scully tried not to smile as they 
approached the arguing men. The tallest of the men was dressed in a police officer's 
uniform. He looked about forty and had a receeding hairline, he was incandescent with 
rage. The younger, and more calmer man, wore jeans and a woollen jumper. He had thin 
metal spectacles and spoke in a level tone, never raising his voice or showing any 
emotion. He had all the hall marks of being a young council worker.
  "You can't do this!"shouted the policeman.
  "I can and I will."
  "These are just kids goddammit!!"
  "They are under suspicion of having committed murder, the council has voted and 
you must arrest them and place them in the cells."
  "Come on Bill you can't make me do this."
  "Marty, you have to do it or you'll be fired."
  The younger man shook his head as he walked off to his car parked nearby. When he 
had gone Mulder and Scully approached the officer. He was sitting on 
the side of 
the road with his head in his hands.
  "Excuse me", said Mulder "we're from the FBI you called us in. I'm agent Mulder and
this is agent Scully."
  "Oh. I'm sorry you had to witness that. I knew his mother. If she knew what he was 
doing now she'd be... Well I guess he's just trying to make a living. I'm Marty Turner. 
I'm half of the local law enforcement around here. For now anyway."
  "Is there somewhere we can go to talk privately?" said Scully.
  "Sure, if you don't mind woodworm."
  The interior of the police station was even worse than the outside. The hallway had 
a rank smell and dark patches were visible where the old wallpaper had peeled back. 
Dust hid the colour of the carpet except for a small path where a faded red and green 
flower pattern was exposed.
  "It's the cleaner's day off."joked Turner.
Scully could tell that he was touchy about the state of his workplace. She wondered 
briefly why the station was so messy but was too tactful to press the issue.
  "So Marty, why's this place so much of a dump?" asked Mulder.
  "I know it's not as flashy as your offices." said Marty, obviously affronted by 
Mulder's candidness.
  "I wouldn't say that." said Mulder.
  "Well the council got complacent after a hundred years of little crime other than the 
odd fist fight or two and they decided to cut down on the local law enforcement. So I've 
been sitting in here while the outside world has been slowly going to hell. Of course the 
council still think we're a little piece of paradise and nothing bad could ever happen 
here."
  "Until the killings." said Mulder.
  "No. Well, not until the third. They hoped they could just sweep it under the carpet. 
Not that it'd make much of a difference in this place. Now they want me to arrest nine 
year old kids! It just doesn't make sense. Why should they go from the council which 
denied all knowledge of the incidents to a council which will attracted attention from 
all across the world for locking up little kids for killing their relatives!
  "What are they trying to cover up? Just what are their motives? Have they been told 
to do this? Who told them?"
  He took a deep breath and tried to calm himself.
  "I guess you can see why I need your help on this one."

  "I don't get it Mulder, what makes you so sure that there's something paranormal going 
on here." Scully said while pacing up and down in Mulder's hotel room.
  "It's obvious to me that a serial killer is just using the kids as a smoke screen for 
the killings and the local police can't find evidence of this because of their limited 
resources. There is nothing weird going on except in your mind."
  "I expected as much from a bureau spy. You and your people are so narrow minded, you 
can't see past your little microscopes and litmus paper. Why is it that anyone in a 
position of power never has any sort of imagination? Does the altitude kill off all the 
creative cells in the brain?"
  "Ha ha, very funny Mulder. Why is it that maniacs like you refuse to believe that things 
can be explained without resorting to paranoid dissalusions about little green men 
kidnapping people for the government?"
  "Listen Scully, I didn't want a partner. But I'm stuck with you, and your stuck with me, 
so we'd better make the most of this. Did you notice anything unusual in the police station?"
  "Other than the appalling state of the building? No, not really."
  "Well look at this."
  Mulder reached into his pocket and pulled out a handful of dust.
  "So? It's some dust from the police station. What's your point Mulder?"
  "Look very closely at it Scully."
  Scully bent over to look at the dust in Mulder's hand. A flash of light in the dust 
caught her eye.
  "Have you got a ring on?"
  "No. It's this dust that's reflecting the light."
  "But why? Why does this dust reflect light, and why is that significant to this 
investigation?"
  "I've only seen this sort of dust once before and I couldn't explain it then. But for 
now I think we should pay a visit to one of the crime scenes. Any preference Agent Scully?"
  "Where have you seen this before Mulder? What do you know?"
  "You're not ready for that yet. Come on let's go to the first scene."
  Mulder started for the door.
  "Mulder, why are you so secretive?"
  The only reply was a grunt and Mulder stepped out of the room.

  The cars headlights lit up the police tape strung from tree to tree accross the crime 
scene. Mulder and Scully got out of the car and turned on their torches.
  "You pick the best times to go investigating don't you Mulder?"
  She got no answer. He hadn't said a word since the hotel when he said he'd drive. Mulder 
looked apprehensive.
  "Are you expecting something to happen here?"
  Silence.
  "Mulder stop this. You must trust me. Tell me what you're thinking."
  "Come on, let's get going."
  Scully shook her head sadly as Mulder headed towards the run down house.
  It was a basic two floor house made out of bricks and wood. It had a certain rustic air 
to it. It was the kind of house a lumberjack would live in. Even in the darkness Scully 
could see it was in a state of disrepair that was becoming familiar to her. Mulder hesitated 
as they approached the door.
  "What's the matter Mulder? Afraid of there may be ghosts in here?"
  Mulder gave her a sharp look, clearly irritated by the comment. He stomped into the house 
making a deafening noise and dislodging huge amounts of dust.
  "Hey! I was only joking." called Scully after him.
  Mulder stopped in the middle of the room. There was a small mound of fallen masonary on 
the floor and a gaping hole in the ceiling above. He nudged the debris with his foot, and 
then moved on.
  "What are you looking for?"
  "I'll know when I see it." 
  Mulder stood still on his own for a brief time then turned,
  "Scully, I'd like to apologise to you. I've been very hostile towards you. It's not you. 
Trust me. It's this case. It's starting to get to me."
  "But we haven't been on it for that long."
  "You haven't maybe, but I've been studying it for quite sometime and now I'm actually 
here there seems to be something wrong."
  "Wrong?"
  "Yeah. I've already determined what's happening here, but I can't find proof. It's 
incredibly annoying."
  "You mean you know what's happening here?"
  Mulder bent over and picked something up.
  "Great! I've found what I was looking for."
  Scully started to walk over and see what he was holding when a piercing white light 
shone through the window.
  "COME OUT OF THE HOUSE" came the distorted voice of a megaphone. 
  Mulder slipped the thing he had in his hand into his pocket and walked out of the building.
SCully followed and stepped into a circle of cars parked around the house, each with huge 
halogen lamps attached to the top of them. A man approached the two agents.
  "You are trespassing on a crime scene and private property, please leave."
  "We are federal agents." said Mulder as they flashed their badges.
  "We have the cooperation of the local police." said Scully.
  "I am the local police, and I haven't been told anything about this. Now will you please 
leave this area."
  "We spoke to an officer Turner he gave us jurisdiction to look over these crime scenes."
  "Well I don't know anything about that so you will have to leave and I'll check it with 
Marty first thing tomorrow."
  Mulder pulled out his gun and pointed it at the policeman.
  "We have permission to be here", shouted Mulder "So leave us alone!"
  Scully gulped as she heard the sound of a dozen shotguns being loaded.
  "I will ask you one more time to leave."
  "Come on Mulder." said Scully. 
  She took Mulder by the arm. He resisted briefly then sullenly started to walk back.
  As they walked away Scully noticed that the car's lights illuminated dark scorch marks on 
the ground. Mulder caught her eye and placed a finger to his lips.
  They were escorted back to their car and Scully drove them back to their hotel. As soon as 
they had parked Mulder got out, slamming the door and stormed off down the street. Scully 
had to run to catch him up.
  "What's wrong with you Mulder."
  "Nothing."
  "Dammit Mulder, you just pulled a gun on a policeman! Why did you do it?"
  Mulder said nothing.
  "Just what did you pick up? Why were you so hostile towards them?"
  "Have a look."
  Mulder took something out of his pocket and opened his hand. The dust caught the light 
from the street lights.
  "I don't get it. It's the same type of dust as the station's. What's the connection? 
Where have you seen this before?"
  "I can't tell you."
  "Mulder, I'm not a child. Why wouldn't they let us investigate the site? What's going on? 
Why are you so obsessed with this case?"
  Mulder stopped suddenly and wheeled around to face Scully.
  "Because what's happening to these kids happened to me!!" he shouted.

To be concluded....