Episode 108

"Raywood, WA: Population One" aired on January 6, 2016.

Olympia Woods Massacre Legend
Nic relates a legend surrounding a section of forest outside of Olympia, Washington, where it was believed that, during the time of the Salem witch trials, two young children went for a walk in these woods and discovered over four hundred bodies hanging from the trees, the result of either a massacre or a mass suicide. Though some believe the story is an urban legend, people continue to commit suicide in the area, and locals now refer to it as Suicide Grove.

Raywood
Still at Nic's apartment, MK goes back to analyse what she believed was the numbers station in Episode 102. She says that the numbers that are repeating--4737861111--can be deciphered as being a geographical location, a line of latitude measuring 47.37861111, passing through Washington state, Puget Sound, Jeffery Anderson's cabin, Suicide Grove, an alleged Ted Bundy killing location, the place Peter Chenoweth went missing for three months, and a town named St. Raywood, or simply Raywood to the people that once lived there.

Jonas Raywood named the town he purchased after his ancestor who was granted sainthood by the church (the sainthood designation was later revoked). Jonas himself was the head of a lumber conglomerate that built the entire town seemingly overnight in the 1980s. Five apartment buildings were erected, along with a modest hospital, a bank, a movie theater, library, pool, and a large rec center. In 1983 after the pine beetle infestation collapsed the market, the entire population was evacuated, and the structures were left intact and unused. Seventeen years ago it was purchased by Marcus Dempsey, who erected a fence around the perimeter and maintains the grounds.

Though Jonas Raywood died in 1985, Nic has an interview that Raywood conducted after the evacuation (the interview is later revealed to have been taped from recordings during a tour of the town given to him by Marcus Dempsey). Raywood explains that everything humanity accomplishes is a result of death avoidance, and that everything from religion to art to science are merely distractions from our own mortality. The interviewer asks Raywood about the missing children who have "come back", and Raywood ends that line of questioning. The interviewer asks about Raywood's background in etymology and the formation of a Young Explorers Group in Raywood with a focus in that area, but Raywood again sidesteps the issue when the interviewer asks if the children that disappeared were part of this group. In the final segment, Raywood maintains that his ancestor after whom the town was named was wrongfully attacked, and when the interviewer tries to clarify if it was because St. Raywood was accused of demon worship and human sacrifice, Raywood ended the interview.

After MK leaves Nic's apartment, she contacts him with information on the mysterious disappearance of the children and their bizarre return: the parents of the returned children claimed the kids were "changed", more prone to violence, distant and more forgetful. And even months after their return, there were sightings of the same children, but with hollow pits where they eyes used to be. Raywood was evacuated shortly after the sightings.

Nic arranges to meet Marcus Dempsey, and while he's not allowed to take pictures of the town, Nic compares it to a town in British Columbia called Kitsault, which was also abandoned in a similar fashion in 1982. Dempsey explains that he doesn't live in Raywood but comes in to maintain it, and shows Nic strange insects in the dirt, ones that resemble prawns and aggressively try to bite Dempsey when he picks them up with a handful of soil.

Upon arriving back in Seattle, Nic investigates the population of Raywood, noting Dempsey's ex-wife had moved to Hawaii and had no desire to revisit the topic of the town's history. MK calls Nic with information on a lawsuit filed by some of the parents of the missing children against the town, but it appeared to have been settled out of court.

Sam Reynolds' Disappearance and The Cult of Tanis
Morgan Miller calls Nic to tell him that Sam Reynolds has disappeared and seems to have taken some belongings with him. Nic and Morgan meet and she explains more about the Cult of Tanis; namely, that she believes they had to do with Sam's disappearance, as the same sort of people that started allegedly stalking her after Pacifica was published were outside of her apartment when she left to meet Nic, and she said she also saw people outside of Nic's apartment on her way to their meeting. Morgan says she tried calling the police back when she first noticed these people, but the "Company" showed up instead. Nic tells Morgan about the clip he received from the unaired pilot of the series "Singles of the Coast" and that he was trying to figure out where the mysterious chanting was coming from, but Morgan was sure the investigation would yield a dead end.

While briefing him on the history of Raywood, MK gives Nic information on the Cult of Tanis, a group that most likely began in the 40s or 50s and placed classified ads and trolled bulletin boards trying to gather like-minded people who wanted to investigate Tanis and who knew about Parzavala. MK says that the faction that Morgan Miller was likely referring to has a history of extortion, kidnapping and aggravated assault; she gives Nic the address she tracked down for the operation, run out of the basement of a duplex in Everett, WA.

Journal Day 3, Continued
Alex reads more of day three from the mysterious journal chronicling an unknown participant's journey. The Novelist has fallen to her knees screaming, and the author complains of a growing unease threatening to take him over completely. The Runner maintains that they aren't far now, and that they must keep going. The Zealot points out that birds haven't been flying overhead of their location, and they all see an abundance of snails and slugs in the area.

Recurring Characters
Nic Silver, host and producer

MK, information specialist

Morgan Miller, author of Pacifica

Alex Reagan, producer

Guest Characters
Jonas Raywood, St. Raywood founder

Marcus Dempsey, current owner of the town of Raywood