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| The Transition of Camilla Beckwith |
Foreword
The Capture-Detain-Control Unit is a secret branch of the U.S. government operating out of Dobbs Institute in Dobbs County, Texas. We were established in 1958, after the 1957 Texas zombie outbreak. From that time, we have investigated and taken action against any and all unusual or "supernatural" activity in the southern United States.
Camilla Beckwith
Camilla Lettice Beckwith's father always lamented, "The name Beckwith is synonymous with bad luck." Most of the family didn't listen to him when he said it, and 18-year-old Camilla was one of them. His words, which were mostly uttered in jest, came back to haunt the family: Camilla became ill, and physician Dr. Grey diagnosed her condition as consumption - the white death.
Camilla was a young woman who loved attending social events, but her condition soon worsened, and she began to experience the full onslaught of the white plague. She confined herself to a room on the third floor of her family's mansion. She had the thought that she was simply waiting to die.
After a few months of suffering and no response to any treatment - fresh air was the only thing the doctor knew to describe - Camilla heard one of the household staff members approaching the bedroom door. She could tell by the light footsteps that it was Jane. Jane was also a teenager; she and Camilla got along well.
Every day, three times a day, Jane would bring a tray of food and place it at Camilla's door. Today it was the same routine and, as always, Camilla asked Jane if there was any news. Jane seemed to hesitate, but then told Camilla of a dance that was taking place at the nearby West manor. Not only was there a dance, Jane revealed, but a member of the English branch of the Beckwith family, one Lord Dunwich, was also in the area, and supposedly he would be in attendance. After this, Jane said, he planned to retire to the Beckwith mansion for a few days before continuing his travels. Maybe, Jane thought out loud, he would stop by Camilla's door and speak with her.
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