Middleton Death Cult

The Middleton Death Cult is the name attributed to a loosely defined group of students presumed to be responsible for various crimes committed at Middleton High School, most notably the kidnapping/disappearance of 13 Middleton High School students.

Background
Although the term "Middleton Death Cult" was first seen in a cautionary pamphlet which circulated at Middleton High School in the wake of the 13th student kidnapping, rumors of an occult group of deviants responsible for the kidnappings had already been hinted at by multiple sources. Suspicions over the existence of a secret criminal group were initially fueled by recurrent similarities between the kidnapping crime scenes and the iconography present in the "Z" videos, a mysterious series of cryptic visual articles whose untraceable origins remain the subject of fascination and intrigue at Middleton.

The cautionary Death Cult pamphlet became the subject of popular fascination and soon several theories emerged speculating on the nature of the "Death Cult" and its members. No unified theory currently exists, but the most popular belief is that the Death Cult is a group of Middleton students swayed by the ritual doctrine of a phantom authority figure(s) to commit crimes and sacrifice their fellow students.

In addition to the student kidnappings, many unrelated crimes have been attributed to members of the Middleton Death Cult, including the Middleton Chess Society Incident.

Response
Widespread paranoia persists over the nature of the Death Cult, as does widespread skepticism as to its existence. While some believe that the Death Cult is an apocalyptic youth movement whose expansion spells doom for the citizens of Middleton, others believe the Death Cult to be an illusory scapegoat meant to distract believers from the true culprits.

Increased fears over the Death Cult have prompted some official actions. The Clemens Foundation was introduced by Principal Clemens as means of combating potential indoctrination into the Death Cult. Thus far, the Foundation and its practices have been met with both praise and scrutiny.