The @Atomic Children is a secretive group of 15–20 nationalist sympathizers who believe the town's horrors stem from lingering radiation from the 1945 B-29 crash. They view anomalies as American sabotage—black substance as "Yankee poison," disappearances as cover-ups, the blizzard as a containment field. Anti-imperialist to the core, they spread propaganda via whispers, flyers, and pirate radio, urging villagers to "expose the warhead" at the crash site. In the loop, their paranoia has sharpened; they patrol alleys, clash with Christmas Vigil "fools," and watch everyone for "agent" signs. No formal hierarchy beyond Passenger 13's voice, but loyalty is fierce.
Formed in 1986 after train conductor Sato Hiroshi witnessed a colleague's murder (frozen rigid, black ichor from wounds). Sato blamed American agents hiding the crash's "bomb." He started pirate broadcasts as "Passenger 13," recruiting disillusioned locals—ex-miners, veterans, anyone nursing postwar grudges. By 1987 the group solidified: 15–20 members meeting in abandoned spots, spreading flyers about "radiation mutants" and "imperialist poison." The Christmas Vigil's rise fueled rivalry—two delusions fighting for the town's fear.
The 1945 B-29 carried an undetonated warhead that leaked radiation, mutating the town. Anomalies are proof: black substance = contamination, shibito-like figures = irradiated victims, blizzard = containment. Krampus stories are "foreign distractions" planted by agents. Finding the crash site and "neutralizing" the bomb will end the curse and expose American crimes. Strong imperialist leanings: Japan must reclaim purity from foreign taint.
Propaganda: Flyers, whispers, pirate radio rants challenging listeners to the crash site.
Patrols: Night watches in parkas, binoculars on woods, confronting "suspicious" outsiders.
No Rituals: Purely conspiratorial—no offerings, just manifestos and maps.
Conflict: Heated arguments (sometimes fists) with Christmas Vigil; tolerate yakuza if anti-foreign.
Sato Hiroshi (“Passenger 13”), 55: Leader, raspy radio host from abandoned station.
Kobayashi Shigeru (28): Post office clerk, frantic report-sorter.
Yamamoto Kōji (60): Museum janitor, stares at mine site.
Exhaustion and doubt creep in. Patrols grow bolder but riskier—some members itch under skin, cough black flecks, but blame "radiation exposure." Radio broadcasts more frantic, challenging the town to "prove me wrong." Clashes with Vigil escalate; some members quietly wonder if both are wrong. Still, loyalty to Passenger 13 holds—for now.
The Atomic Children are a tragic red herring: born of real grief (postwar scars, mine deaths), twisted into conspiracy. They fight the wrong enemy while the true harvest walks among them.