STEVE GAINLEY

"CLYDE MORTON" THE FORSAKEN LANDS OUTDOOR HAUNTED ATTRACTION GOSHEN, CT.

On the edges of any map, where the trees grow too close and silence weighs heavy, there’s a town called Ridgeway. A place forgotten by progress and cursed by lineage. At its heart stands the crumbling remains of Morton’s Meats — a butcher shop that hasn’t served real livestock in years.



Those who grew up here know the truth. They remember the missing posters, the strange smells on the wind, the way the cops never asked too many questions. The town of Ridgeway isn’t haunted because of ghosts… it’s haunted because of the Mortons.



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The Morton’s Covenant



The true power behind the butcher’s block is a doctrine — passed down through generations — known only as The Word of Ezra. An ancient gospel carved in flesh and blood, it promises salvation through sacrifice, ascension through suffering, and rebirth through flesh.



The Morton family are its stewards. And Morton’s Meats is more than a shop — it’s a temple. A place of offering, dismemberment, and devotion. Those who join the Covenant become family, and those who resist become feed.



In Ridgeway, no one asks questions. Because asking means ending up on a hook.



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THE MORTONS



Clyde Morton – The Butcher Prophet



Role: Cult Leader, Chainsaw Evangelist

Weapon of Choice: A roaring chainsaw called “Salvation”



Clyde is the eldest of the Morton siblings — a towering figure of blood-soaked conviction. Raised in the family butcher shop, he found purpose in the mechanical growl of chainsaws and the sacred silence of slaughter.



When their father uncovered The Word of Ezra, it was Clyde who understood it best. He became the Covenant’s voice, its executioner, and its prophet. His face is hidden beneath a mask sewn from human skin, stitched with reverence.



Now, Clyde roams Ridgeway preaching rebirth through mutilation. He speaks in sermons. He kills with purpose. And every scream he carves from a victim is a hymn to Ezra.



Notable Quote: “Your flesh becomes tribute. And through the blade, you will be reborn.”



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Boyd “Kiwi” Morton – The Forsaken Clown



Role: Outcast Brother, Fire-Starter, Cult Lure

Weapon of Choice: Hatchets, fire, and mockery



Boyd was always different — drawn to chaos and laughter that curdled into madness. He was cast out from the family as a teen, banished for his refusal to “take the blade seriously.” He ran off to join a traveling circus and became Kiwi the Clown, a grotesque performer of violent pranks and drug-fueled hallucinations.



But the circus didn’t last. One night, Boyd set the big top ablaze — an offering of flame and flesh. Clyde welcomed him home, recognizing the fire in his brother’s heart as holy.



Now, Kiwi serves the Covenant by spreading confusion and fear. He hides in the twisted, abandoned corners of Ridgeway, laughing through blood-streaked teeth, luring victims in with riddles and riddled corpses.



Notable Quote: “They always laugh… until I take their smile for myself.”



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Ripp Morton – The Trapper of Ezra



Role: Youngest Brother, Hunter, Flesh Collector

Appearance: Wears a scarecrow mask and long burlap coat; beneath, his lower face is burned, disfigured, and self-mutilated



Ripp was the quiet one — observant, patient, methodical. But when The Word of Ezra came into his hands, he didn’t just believe it — he offered his own flesh as tribute. In a moment of devotion, Ripp mutilated his mouth, burning and carving symbols into the skin as a form of sacred transformation.



He can still speak — and when he does, his voice is deliberate, raspy, and chilling. Every word is scripture. Every sentence a threat wrapped in poetry.



Ripp is the Covenant’s trapper. He lives among the thickets and ruins of Ridgeway, rigging bear traps, barbed snares, and baited offerings. He does not chase — he waits. And when victims scream, he whispers the words of Ezra as he drags them into the underbrush.



Notable Quote: “The first cut was mine. The rest… are for Him.”



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Mr. Morton – The First Butcher



Status: Presumed dead — or worse



Once a simple butcher and family man, Mr. Morton was the first to uncover The Word of Ezra. He found it carved into an old bone beneath the shop — a scripture of blood, suffering, and eternal preservation.



He took the teachings to heart. Turned his knives from livestock to unwanted visitors. Trained his sons not just in butchery, but in ritual sacrifice.



One day, he vanished into the shop’s basement. Some say he died. Others say he ascended. But if you stand behind Morton’s Meats at night, you might still hear him humming through the floorboards — the lullaby of knives.



CONCLUSION



The Morton family has carved their legacy into Ridgeway — one offering at a time. They are not actors. Not legends.

They are butchers. Preachers. Collectors of the willing and unwilling alike.



You don’t visit Ridgeway.

You get chosen by it.



And if you hear the chainsaw…

it’s already too late.

“When the righteous carve, they do not tremble — for the blade is His tongue, and the flesh is His gospel. Blessed are those who make the world bleed true.”

— The Word of Ezra