The Shadow Files™

Sorry for the delay, life happened but, the story continues. Thank you so much for reading and your patience

A gritty, cinematic photo from inside a darkened, derelict vehicle. A thick, velvet-like layer of grey ash coats a makeshift digital workstation. In the center, a rugged laptop screen glows with bright green terminal text, surrounded by tangled wires, old radio scanners, and portable hard drives. A single, sharp beam of light from a cracked side window pierces through the cloying, dust-filled air, illuminating the motes hanging in the cabin. The edges of the frame are dark and vignetted, creating a sense of claustrophobia and decay.

Temp. M.B.O.
Remaining assets secured.

(2/3)
I initiated the C.I. Protocol. Signal silence while I navigated the "ash-zones." Finding a base that isn't exposed or with that rhythmic hive-pulse is a nightmare. I've been moving through derelict sectors to stay ahead of the sweet smell of the rot.
#ColdIron
#Survivor

Temporary uplink secured. The landscape has been... reorganized. Terraforming is systemic now. Alpha is confirmed dark, but the Archive remains. The news doesn't stop just because the world did.
#TheShadowFiles #SouthEastApocalypse
(3/3)

SOURCE: The-Archivist
STAMP: Jan 24, 2026
STATUS: Re-established / Mobile

144 days of silence. I didn’t fall, I had to bug out. When the Murkwood sector hit critical saturation, the grey began eating through my hardware. I had to go dark or risk being detected.
#TheShadowFiles
#Murkwood
(1/3)

Fragment 2/3
The houses, trees, even the street is a dull, grey.
Everywhere, the dust is settling, moving familiar sights into something else. It’s like the town is slowly being replaced by this monochrome, silent landscape. This is much more ominous as of now...
#SomethingIsWrong #NewWorld #Erosion

Fragment 3/3

It's not just about the people. It’s, everything. This dust is a part of it. I'm walking through a world that’s something else entirely, I can feel its breath on my neck.
#Uncanny #AlienWorld #VineGroveKY
"The true horror is not what they became, but what they were."
— The-Archivist

Dispatch Fragment 1/3

SOURCE: Alpha
STAMP: Nov. 4.
STATUS: Incomplete
THREAT LEVEL: Red
INTEGRITY: Critical
ENV: Outdoors, Day

The food is gone. I have to go out. The air outside is thick with a fine, grey dust, like ash, but it smells sickly sweet. It coats everything.
#TheShadowFiles #Murkwood

Fragment 2/3
Now there's a new sound, a scratching at the doors. A desperate, frantic sound. Not like they’re trying to get in, more like trying to get out. A chorus of voices, not a mob, a horde? The decibel level is quite high. For now, I shall retreat from the sound..
#TheSoundOfFear #Organized

Fragment 3/3
Fear isn’t the sound itself, but what it means. They are no longer a threat in silence. The sound is a cruel embodiment of what they once were. The spark seems to be fading...
#Horror #Confession #Nightmare

"The true horror is not what they became, but what they were."

— The-Archivist

Dispatch Fragment 1/3
SOURCE: Alpha
STAMP: Nov. 3.
STATUS: Incomplete
THREAT LEVEL: Orange
INTEGRITY: Compromised
ENV: Indoors, Night

The silence is gone. It's been replaced by a low, rhythmic sound from outside. A chorus. Not words, laughter. Maniacal, distorted, wrong...
#TheShadowFiles #Murkwood

Whatever it takes

😂

Fragment 2/3

I have been trying to reach anyone, but every channel is a dead end. Radio, internet, cell service—it’s all gone. We are completely isolated. No help is coming. It's as if we have been forgotten or sacrificed. I have to get out of this town...

#Isolation #NoSignal #Disconnected

Fragment 3/3

This isn't just about us being alone. It’s about being cut off. The contagion isn't just spreading, it's isolating its hosts. The silence is a method of control, a form of quarantine. And it's working perfectly.
#Contagion #WeAreAlone #Horror
■
"Fear lies in silence"
— The-Archivist

Dispatch Fragment 1/3
SOURCE: Alpha
STAMP: Nov. 3.
STATUS: Incomplete
THREAT LEVEL: Orange
INTEGRITY: Compromised
ENV: Indoors, Night

The last sound from the outside world? Endless ringing on the phone line. Silence heavier than fog. Power is on, but there’s no dial tone.
#TheShadowFiles #Murkwood

I'm interested, sounds intriguing

Fragment 2/4

Lights cut through the fog, but I can't see anything yet. I pried the blinds open to reveal fog so thick the streetlights are halos. The one outside the house... it caught him. He's standing in his front yard, holding the head of a person on the ground.
#StrangeBehavior #Nightmare

Fragment 3/4

The person on the ground... their body just started to twitch. Not like a seizure, but like a puppet whose strings are being pulled too tight. He just stands there, holding them, completely impassive. No emotion.
#SomethingIsWrong #Horror

Fragment 4/4

This isn't a rescue. This is a conversion. He's not attacking... he's creating. It's a method. A process. And it’s right outside my window. We're not safe.
#NewVector #TheyreHere #Isolation
■

"The true horror is not what they became, but what they were."

— The-Archivist

Dispatch Fragment 1/4
SOURCE: Alpha
STAMP: Nov. 2.
STATUS: Incomplete
THREAT LEVEL: Yellow
INTEGRITY: Distressed
ENV: Night, Fog

The rhythmic, deliberate thump-thump-thump is what dragged me out of a dead sleep. It’s too organized. Too calm. Forced to investigate...
#TheShadowFiles #Murkwood

I love this

Misty

I'm not 100% sure what to call it yet. I've been writing stories for years but, as of late. I've been more into this Dystopian anthology of sorts but, wanted to thank you for taking the time to give me a like.

Fragment 2/3

I poured it down the drain. The viscous liquid clung to the sides of the sink for a moment before disappearing. The smell, a faintly metallic, old pennies and burnt electronics. It's not natural. Called the water department but, no answer, Nothing.
#SomethingInTheWater #Contamination

Fragment 3/3

Saw my neighbor, Hemlock. He said his water is the same, and that the town's never had trouble with the well. He thinks something got into our groundwater. The town itself beginning to have a certain odor about itself. This can't be a good sign, that's for sure...
#Horror #NoEscape
■

Dispatch Fragment 1/3
SOURCE: Alpha
STAMP: Oct. 31.
STATUS: Incomplete
THREAT LEVEL: Yellow
INTEGRITY: Compromised
ENV: Indoor, Morning

Woke up thirsty. Water from the tap came out milky and wrong, with tiny specks swirling inside. My throat suddenly went bone dry.
#TheShadowFiles #Murkwood

...
Dispatch Fragment 2/3

Its head is at an angle, as if it hears a sound I can't. It's ignoring me, even though I've gotten closer. I saw it. A slow, thick trickle of black fluid is leaking from its nostril, dripping onto the dead leaves. It's not blood. It's too viscous.
#StrangeBehavior #Eerie

Dispatch Fragment 3/3

Its eyes are glassy. Vacant. There's nothing in there. This animal is just an empty shell, almost like a vessel. It seems... hollowed out. I'm heading back now. The silence of these woods doesn't feel empty anymore. It feels like it's watching.
#Horror #Hollow

BlueSky Post #2
Dispatch Fragment 1/3
| SOURCE: Alpha
| STAMP: Oct. 29.
| STATUS: Incomplete
| THREAT LEVEL: Yellow
| INTEGRITY: Stable
| ENVIRONMENTAL: Morning Fog

No sounds. Absolute, silence. Took a walk. Chilly. Saw a large stag down the path. Hasn't moved.
#TheShadowFiles #Murkwood

■