The Laughing Prophet
The following article was sent by journalist Roberto Costa Campos, expert in criminal investigation, for the writing of “Na Hora”, a tabloid newspaper in São Paulo. Roberto was known for his daring and his lack of fear in investigating anything, often going into extremely dangerous situations simply to gather information. Three days after sending this article to the newsroom, Roberto disappeared. A body was found floating in the Tietê River – soon after, it was identified as being that of the journalist, but the identification could only be made by DNA testing, as the corpse suffered advanced levels of mutilation. The following article is Roberto’s last professional record to the world. Police are still investigating whether the content of such an investigation was merely an illusion of the reporter, or whether it truly is factual. If it is confirmed that the article is based on actual information, it is possible to link it to the death of the reporter. The article was kept confidential in the records of the Public Security Secretariat of the state of São Paulo, but shortly thereafter it was leaked in an i2P paranormal investigation forum. Here’s a copy of the article: THE PROPHETS They are called “The Prophets” a sect of people who have received minor notoriety in recent months. Responsible for at least fifteen murders in the last month, this group of people claim to be worshipers of a paranormal entity called “Zalgo,” something resembling a very powerful demon. They call themselves “Prophets,” for they claim that they know the day that this entity will rise, and that they know exactly who should and should not witness its return. According to them, only the pure people deserve to see Zalgo recover, and the impure must be killed, so that their souls serve as food for the same in the ethereal world where he is enclosed. The members of this sect possess macabre murder rituals, always offering a dead person to their ethereal leader, and each uses a nickname; a false identity relating to their chosen style of murder. The sect received more prominence a few months ago when its alleged leader (known by the nickname of “Prophet Laughter”) released a story of his murders. From then on, the sect has become more brutal and notorious. I spent several weeks traveling around the country looking for signs of them, and finally, in Belo Horizonte, I met a young man who seems to have some connection with the Prophets. I found him crying in an abandoned building. After a little interrogation, I realized that he knew a lot about the sect. His name was Benjamin. He was cowering, frightened. He was wearing a black wool T-shirt with a hood resting on his head. He was slightly overweight. On the floor beside him was a hockey mask with a broken edge. Here’s my interview. BETO: You are one of the Prophets? BENJAMIN: Not yet. BETO: Why not? BENJAMIN: I, Rosa, and Anna have not yet finished our training. BETO: There’s training to be a Prophet? BENJAMIN: Not all Prophets are born with all of the skills they should possess. Some need to be taught. BETO: And who is your leader? BENJAMIN: The Laughter … the Laughter, yes … the Laughter. BETO: What’s his real name? BENJAMIN (shouting): I do not know! BETO: Calm down. Tell me, how did you get into the Prophets? BENJAMIN: I slept … they killed … they killed everyone … I was … I did not … (For the rest of the interview, Benjamin continues to speak in loose sentences) From what I understand, Benjamin, sixteen, suffered from strong discrimination in his family for his homosexuality. One day, the boy woke up in the middle of the night, surrounded by the Prophets. After talking to them for long hours, and letting himself be influenced, the boy tried to kill his own family while they slept, but failed. His older brother hit him in the face with a baseball bat, breaking the corner of his hockey mask. He then ran away. The next night, the other Prophets invaded the house of the boy’s family and quartered them all. It seems that the Prophets have developed a peculiar way of communicating; using videos encoded on the internet. The channel bears the name of the cult leader (Risonho Prophet), and some bizarre and macabre videos have already been posted. They all seem to be loose images of strange situations, but some have phrases that appear for a fraction of a second, seemingly pointless. I suspect they are codes. Recently a video was posted, in which the text “purify Belo Horizonte” appeared. Maybe that explains why I found Benjamin there but not the other Prophets. LIST OF PROPHETS As I spent most of the night talking to Benjamin, I was able to trace a profile of all the members of the sect, which I will now list. Curiously, I recently came to the idea that each of the prophets represents one of the capital sins, but this may be just a coincidence. RISON PROPHET Leader of the sect, old, unknown name. He seems to be a very cultured and intelligent person. He is responsible, according to Benjamin, for at least twenty-two murders. He wears a white mask with a macabre smile painted on it. He is described in his narrations as the greatest of the assassins, always speaking heroically of his feats, so it is believed that this represents Pride. ANNA KARENINA Supposed to be a lover of the Prophet, unknown age, described by Benjamin as being a beautiful girl with emerald-green eyes, long black hair. She always wears a nurse mask, according to Benjamin, because she has a hole in the moonlight of her lower lip, leaving her gums exposed. She normally attacks in hospitals, with an enormous brutality, which counterpoises her docile face, so perhaps this represents Wrath. VOTE PROPHET Benjamin shuddered when he quoted this one; it seems that the two have some quarrel. He is described by the boy as being a big, strong man who pounds his victims in the head to death and devours their corpses. According to him, he wears a plaster mask that depicts a demonic face with a wide gaping mouth full of teeth. His age, says Benjamin, is approaching thirty. By devouring his victims, he probably represents Gluttony. BLACK ROSE It is not known if this is her real name or if it is just a moniker. According to Benjamin, she is a girl in her late twenties, a redhead, and a descendant of Hispanics, for she always speaks with a heavy Spanish accent. She is always seen with gold laces, among other luxury articles, as well as some Mexican skull face make-up. Usually attacks alone, using an ax. Given her appearance and demeanor, it is possible that she represents Lust. GOOD PROPHET His real name is Matias and is described as being a very rich man. He is little seen by the other prophets, for unlike all, he does not go to his victims, but causes them to come to him. Sadistic, he usually uses brutal methods of torture on his victims before killing them. He is always seen with a fox mask on his face. This one most likely represents Greed. BIZARRO PROPHET Brother of the Miser, described by Benjamin as being a very fat guy, always wearing a red overcoat, usually opens the skull of his victims with a cleaver. He is responsible for kidnapping his victims on behalf of his brother. It is not known who he represents, but is likely to represent Envy. PROPHET OF THE SHADOWS This seems to be only a delusion of Benjamin. Described by him as being a girl of about seven, pale, with completely black eyes and empty expression. She appears in the victims’ homes only during the night, absorbing energy from electronic devices. She never attacks unless shrouded in darkness. Benjamin says that before killing her victims, she walks by their house, singing a melody in another language. When the victim decides to investigate the source of the sound, that is when she strikes. I can not identify any sin that resembles the girl, so it is likely that she does not exist. All that remains is Benjamin, who seems to represent Sloth, since he is probably not responsible for any death. That’s all I got from Benjamin. As he was leaving, he looked at me smiling and shouted “You’re screwed!” I fear for my safety, but will try to investigate the sect some more, as soon as I can. — END OF DOCUMENT CREDIT: Logan Raul Click HERE to check out Creepypasta.com’s official YouTube channel Copyright Statement: Unless explicitly stated, all stories published on Creepypasta.com are the property of (and under copyright to) their respective authors, and may not be narrated or performed under any circumstance.