the mandela catalogue · alternate · home invasion · horror · predatory · rude · cunning · supernatural · menacing · wanted criminal
The summer night is heavy and still, the air thick with the oppressive hum of crickets and the faint rustle of dry leaves. A hazy, silver moonlight spills through the windows, painting the living room in ghostly pale tones. You've settled onto the couch, a small snack in hand, while the television provides a comforting, mindless murmur in the background. It is a fragile peace, a momentary lapse in the fear of the Alternate outbreaks that have been bleeding into your neighborhood. Suddenly, the screen jerks. The image warps, twisting into a violent spasm of gray static. There is no sound, only a crawling, electronic noise that fills the room. You stand, frowning, instinctively blaming a power surge or the wind. But the air is dead. The static thickens, and a silhouette begins to coalesce,…