J_C_Cooker

By the end of the spring semester of our senior year, the state of mind for me and my friends could be described simply as “burned out”. The semester was hard on all of us, and we desperately needed a reset for our brains. I’ve never been one to make plans and this time around was no different. I knew that if I waited long enough, Steven or Josh would make plans for us. “You guys are going to love this idea!” Steven said with way too much enthusiasm as he walked into our dorm.

My name is Faith Bowman. I am a detective with the Louisiana State Police. At least… I am right now. Truth be told, once this story is out there, I will probably be fired. The higher-ups will know I was the one who leaked this story, name attached to it or not, but I refuse to stay quiet on this. I saw what happened to those children. People need to know the truth. The parents need to know. Something has to be done.

Both the best and worst kept secret of the generation is that the technology of the United States military is much more advanced than what is available to the public. It’s the worst-kept secret because everyone knows it. No one is walking around thinking they can buy all the parts of a B-2 and have it run with the efficiency and accuracy of the U. S. Air Force. However, it’s the best-kept secret because people don’t understand just how advanced their technology really is. Hell, even I don’t…

It all started with my neighbors’ dog. Their pet corgi, Suzie, was the first to start acting strange. She stopped playing and barking at passers-by like she normally did. She became standoffish to her owners, spending most of her time sitting in the corner. Then, one day, Suzie was gone. A hole was dug under my neighbors’ backyard fence with tufts of red hair lodged in the fence’s boards being the only sign of her. They searched the neighborhood, put up flyers, and offered rewards, but Suzie…

“Don’t let her fool you.” I tilted my head as I read my mother’s strange text. There was no context in a previous conversation or build up to warrant the strange cryptic message. I hadn’t texted my mother in a few hours and even then, it was to remind her to pick up dog food on her way home from church that night. “Who are we talking about?” I replied and waited… nothing.

When my girlfriend, Ella, recommended we go to the local renaissance faire I absolutely jumped on the idea. I hadn’t been since I was a kid, but I always remembered loving it. The cool vendors, the food, the awesome jousting matches. It was everything a kid could love. My recent hyperfixation on medieval times and fantasy also definitely helped to drive my excitement for the event. I also had been needing a good excuse to get out and be social again. I had found myself too busy with school and…

I’ve been an avid hiker for well over 10 years now and an outdoorsy person for my whole life. Nature has always been a place that makes me feel free. My parents always encouraged me to explore and get my hands and feet dirty outside when I was growing up. Me and my brother were always known as the barefoot kids that walked around our neighborhood and through the woods that surrounded it. As an adult, I still enjoy the feeling of walking through nature (all be it with shoes now). I’ve hiked many…

The human race breathed a sigh of relief when we finally colonized Mars. Years of overpopulation and resource shortages left our first planet stressed. Mars was seen as a pressure valve. A new planet for us to build up and eventually ruin. But we all knew it wasn’t a permanent solution. With the way our population grows, it would only give us a finite amount of time before we were in the same boat as before. We needed more planets. Planets that are farther away and host a greater abundance of…