LAB EXPLORATION DAY 1: Randy: We made it to the research facility after about two days. There were so  many close calls that I almost lost count. There were the obvious threats, the false copycats and Mimickers were at almost every damn turn we made, but we made it. I remember all the local conspiracy theories surrounding this place, from before this whole monstrosity happened. Originally, the research center was just a small hospital situated in the middle of town, until the military suddenly seized it and made it their own building. Nobody really knew why, but almost everyone thought it had to do with the Copycats. Sam stayed behind with Janet, saying he wanted to keep them safe, so…

I was 32 when I married Ashley, the love of my life. The daughter of two wildly successful divorce lawyers, she carried her wit as well as she carried her elegance. Taking after her mother, she was blessed with strikingly Baltic features, and taking after her father, she was perhaps the sweetest and most genuine soul I had ever met. In other words, she was perfect. A few weeks after our wedding we set off on our honeymoon. Instead of sun-drenched beaches and overpriced umbrella drinks though, we opted for medieval museums and frosty pints. Something that fit the both of us much better. Over the course of the 10 days, we scoured the southern half of Ireland, stopping in…

My fingers shake involuntarily as I slouch like a giant insect and type this on the computer. I don’t want to write it, but I have no choice but to document what happened here. I could write it slowly, thoughtfully, and clearly, but I can’t—I’ve never been a writer, and I’m in no position to turn this into a professional essay. After all, I have to hurry, we all have to hurry. The pieces of plaster that have fallen from the walls are starting to move like little cockroaches, which means I don’t have much time left. I have to finish this before it gets to me. I can hear the crackle of iron in the pipes behind the wall…

I remember that first day… I was out of the house and went to the convenience store. There was always an advertisement on the window and there was this one poster everywhere. I took a good look at it, not really understanding it but it had fun, colorful, goofy characters and a box below it. I decided I’d look at it after getting snacks, I came out of the store and had a sudden feeling of dread reaching for the box but I didn’t mind it. I picked up the box and brought it home to look at, I dumped its contents on the ground and it was a bunch of VHS tapes. Episode 1, 2, 3, 4… there were…

Alice arrived at Clare View Point. She had saved just enough money to get there but needed to save the rest for lodging and food. It meant taking other forms of transportation was out. Alice had decided to see if someone would be willing to give her a ride. After all, the last stop she was heading to was pretty close; it would still be a long walk on foot. Alice scanned the faces of the people standing outside the bus station. There stood a handsome man walking to the parking lot. “Excuse me!” she cheerily spoke, walking up to him, who stopped to listen.”By chance, could you give me a ride?” Alice asked. The man looked at her. “Where…

When I was a kid I used to play down by the creek that was behind my house. I’d throw rocks, play with plastic army men, make little houses out of mud and sticks having them sink into the creek. On a particular hot day in July when I was about nine I was sitting by the edge of the creek. I had my feet in the water trying to cool down as the day was unbearably humid. I had my eyes closed and didn’t hear her walk up. “Hello” I heard an older voice say. I open my eyes and see a thin middle aged woman wearing a thin white dress, walking barefoot carrying a box under an arm.…

I hate Mondays. It’s a generic thing, but I just loathe having to go to work after the weekend. Anyway, I’m done with it, so I guess I can’t complain now. I recently purchased a house for a surprisingly good deal out in the woods. It’s a pretty nice place, other than sometimes the cellular mysteriously goes out for hours at a time. It’s pretty late, about 9 p.m. My new job keeps me quite late, but it’s extra pay, so you’re not hearing anything bad from me. As I get off the main road and onto the gravel road into the woods, per my navigation system’s directions, I listen to my tires running over the small rocks, almost sounding…

It was three years ago. I was 20 and couldn’t keep a job. I was just too lazy, I guess. I finally got one, though. It was at the Hubert Amusement Park, I was Hubert. Being the park’s mascot wasn’t a high-paying job, but at least I could live dressing up as a clown. Every day, I would dress up as Hubert and go to the park. Like any clown, Hubert had pure white skin with red markings on his face, frizzy blue hair, a squishy red nose, and baggy rainbow overalls. Anyway, I would arrive at the park at 6:45 to get ready, and greet people at the entrance. I made adults and kids alike smile. And sometimes make…

“I still have nightmares about my mother,” I told my friend Zack on a frigid October night in downtown Mystic. “She’s running through the Darién jungle from a man dressed head to toe in camouflage. His face is shadowy and deformed. I can’t see my mother’s face, but I can hear her scream.” Zack’s face was as pale as mine, flushed with goosebumps. “I…don’t know what to say.” I kept the rest of the dream to myself because it was too terrifying to put into words. I never met my mother or even saw a picture of her. In my dreams, however, I saw her braided hair, mestizo skin, and unblinking brown eyes so vividly that I felt like I…

Every single night, at midnight, I am startled awake by the sound of something moving in my living room. At first, I thought it was house noises until I heard crying in the hallway. I called an exterminator to see if I had some type of animal living in my walls. Nothing was found. The exterminator recommended security cameras in case someone was breaking and entering. I got a security system, and after two hours of trying to understand the instructions that reminded me too much of the manuals used to assemble IKEA furniture, I tested out the cameras. I stood in front of one of the cameras while the live feed was pulled up on my phone. I was…