June 13, 1940
What brought this on? What force in this world...or in this universe brought this curse/blessing upon us? Those are two of the many questions I ponder these days.
As a man of science, I've spent my life pondering a great many things. But most things I've pondered on over the years now seem trivial. Since May 1, my mind has been filled with both terror and wonder, for on that day came what is now being called "The Reckoning". At least that's what men and women of faith have labeled it.
They believe what happened on that day was God's reckoning. I heard a preacher on the radio last week say that God had finally grown sick of man's ways and lashed out with his anger and might as punishment. Do I believe that? Part of me says no, but another part of me can't help but wonder if that is the explanation for everything.
Since I've only just begun this journal with this entry, I think I need to explain what happened on May 1st. Or at least attempt to describe the event, whether I can truly explain it or not.
No one knows all of the details, as so many things have come to light in the six weeks since. But on that day, at 12:01 in the afternoon, a massive series of "lightning" strikes occurred all around the world simultaneously. I use the term lightning loosely. It appeared to be lightning, but it did not have the effects that one would typically associate with lightning. Nevertheless, bolts of white light, or energy, or some force struck everywhere at once. As many as 70 strikes inside of one square mile has been reported.
A great many of the people who were caught in the light have experienced transformations. Some wonderous, and others terrible. Some who were struck outright disappeared...yet to be heard from or seen since. Let me explain what I mean by "wonderous". It's been reported that one man here in Evermore city sprouted huge golden wings from his back. Another instantly grew to an astonishing nine feet tall. Yet another man gained the ability to float on the air itself. But for every wonderous transformation, there has been an equally terrifying one as well.
There are the reports of a man who seemingly dropped out of the sky with the skin on his face so sunken and tight that it looks like he has no skin at all, and claims to be an airline pilot for his native Germany. Another man whose flesh turned a deep red and his hands transformed into claws like a lobster.
Then there are the tales that are really hard to believe. The museum of history was struck, and if you believe the reports, a preserved mummy came to life, as well as a wax statue of a viking. There have also been scattered reports of beasts gaining intelligence and walking like men. It is a strange time indeed.
Some folks I've talked with believe it's all some kind of trick. But I know the transformations are real. At least in my case, as I too was struck by the "lightning". While I've always been of more than average intelligence, since I was caught in the light, it seems my intelligence and knowledge of the world have increased tenfold. I now dream of marvelous new inventions and have a working knowledge of these inventions that I never had before. I can't explain it any more than anyone else who has experienced a change can.
But even with this newfound knowledge, I'm at a loss for what has happened. But I intend to put my newfound intelligence, and every effort into discovering what is behind it all. In the meantime, I have another project to deal with.
Close by to where I was, I saw another man caught in the light. He was a police officer on duty that day. When he was hit by the light, he fell to the ground unconscious. I tried to revive him with no luck. He was still very much alive, but unresponsive. I brought him back to my science lab where he remains in a comatose state. His vital signs have remained strong, and it is with all hope that I can help him regain his life.
I felt the need to start this journal because I do not know what is happening in this world, or what will happen. I'm chronicling the events as I know them so that if something happens to me, maybe someone will find this and use whatever I put down on paper to further the investigation into this reckoning.
Dr. E.J. Reilly
