Episode 2 of Archive 81 commences with Dan, nerves jangling yet striving for composure, as he persists in retrieving the tapes. The latest installment holds a haunting encounter with a medium named Beatriz. Beatriz confides in Melody that the inhabitants of this place are strangely eccentric, confessing that she too has been haunted by nocturnal noises. Particularly, she hears mournful moans and chalks it up to a midnight sex club that unfolds upstairs.
As a medium, Beatriz cannot resist the temptation to divine Melody's fortune, flipping through three cards: the past, the present, and the future. When it comes to the present, Beatriz shrewdly deduces that Melody is on a quest to locate Julia Bennett, who has vanished into thin air, leaving no trace behind. But the future card? Ah, that's a whole different can of worms. Flipping it over, it reveals the ominous symbol of Death. Beatriz smiles awkwardly and tries to reassure her that death can be interpreted in myriad ways.
Later that evening, Melody attends Tamara's opera, but once again, the music seems to have a detrimental effect on her. During a brief respite, she learns from Samuel, the gentleman who initially invited her to the opera, that there exists a Visser Historical Society that gathers at the apartment complex. According to Samuel, these eclectic residents convene to discuss various topics, the most recent being the enigmatic world of witches. Samuel encourages her to attend and inquire about Julia. He seems to be the sole beacon of sanity in this maze of madness, and Melody eagerly seizes the opportunity, sealing it with a kiss outside the complex.
Inside the apartment, Melody encounters her eccentric, boisterous friend Anabelle, waiting eagerly. Melody is not pleased with her presence, and her mood darkens further when Samuel arrives for the drink she had promised earlier. Sensing the tension, Samuel prudently decides to depart.
For Dan, he's beginning to feel like he's losing the reins of this chaotic situation. He spots a figure in a red jacket darting through the woods and discovers that Melody was once a patient of his father's. That figure, looming ominously from the shadows, reveals itself to be Dan's father. As he chases him down the labyrinthine hallways of this bizarre house, it swiftly becomes apparent that this is all but a nightmarish illusion. Of course it is! Nevertheless, it serves to illustrate how the boundaries between the past and present are beginning to blur and merge.
As Dan casts his gaze around the house, his attention is drawn to a suspicious indentation in the pantry wall. Instinctively, he tears it apart, revealing a hidden section of the structure, secluded from the rest. Every door within the newly discovered space is firmly locked, including an office that seems to hold some significance for the future. Upon entering this expansive chamber, Dan discovers a hymnal, a looming cross, and the enigmatic initials "TB-AF" carved into a bench.
Just then, he hears a voice behind him and turns to find Virgil standing there. This makeshift chapel once served as a forum for debates, where Virgil controversially argued that Jesus was, in fact, a demon. The conversation soon shifts to Wellspring, the advertisement that caught our attention at the beginning of this chapter. Virgil confesses that he was the creator of this service, aiming to help people trace their origins. However, he was unaware that Dan's father was involved in all this, as he remained oblivious to the contents of the tapes.
Nonetheless, he divulges that Dan's father suffered a mental breakdown and might have been the one who started the fire. This revelation segues smoothly into Melody's encounters in the apartment block. In the dead of night, she hears strange chanting and groans emanating from somewhere within the complex. Armed with her camera, Melody ventures out to investigate. She discovers all the residents gathered in the communal room, seated in front of an open armoire displaying a bizarre demonic statue. The residents begin gasping and humming in unison, creating an unnerving atmosphere that grows even more when they abruptly fall silent.
Melody, still filming throughout this ordeal, struggles to regain her composure as the group disperses for the night. We also learn that this sex club has some redeeming qualities, as Samuel and Tamara engage in an intimate encounter, their moans echoing throughout the room. Unfortunately, it seems that 'Hot Guy' isn't as ordinary as he appears.
Upon returning to her apartment, Melody, shaken and visibly spooked, confides in Annabelle about her whereabouts and the reason for her presence at Visser Apartment. It transpires that Julia Bennett is her biological mother, and Melody has arrived to search for her. Of course, she's also documenting the building, but her primary motivation stems from her desire to reunite with her birth mother.
Meanwhile, Dan ventures out to meet Mark, who has uncovered some intriguing information. It transpires that the song that has been echoing through the narrative was composed by Dan's sister. Moreover, LMG is merely the tip of the iceberg, as Mark enumerates a lengthy list of shady subsidiaries under the company's umbrella. Mark pauses before delivering the final bombshell: Melody is alive and well in Pittsburgh, and she might hold the key to unraveling the mysteries surrounding these events.
