Post by GalaxiaD on Jul 27, 2011 22:33:40 GMT -5
You didn't honestly think I'd forget about this, did you? See, I was hanging out my friend's house today, which means I couldn't post the preview as early as I wanted to. Nevertheless, I believe releasing it at this hour is far more appropriate, in tandem with the tradition of campfire stories, which usually take place after dark. So I guess it all works out, eh?
But enough, it's time for the moment you've all been waiting for. Grab your flashlight and prepare for your sneak peak into the terror that is "Smile", debuting August 1st. Without further ado:
Do you believe in the supernatural? It's perfectly justified if you don't; I used to be one of those people. I was highly skeptical of anything that concerned ghosts, witches, vampires, aliens, you name it. Not anymore. Not after the terror that befell my small, quiet, and peaceful town of Sunny Falls. I tried to ignore it, to reassure myself that it was just a persistent nightmare that I'd eventually wake up from, but reality has an annoying tendency to bite you right on the ass, and before I could even wrap my head around the whole situation, my life was changed forever.
I can't explain how or why it began. There was no forewarning, no stipulation that any of my friends or I broke. We were just a curious group of young adults with a fascination for urban legends. Well, my friends were, at least. As stated before, I was the skeptic of the group. My friends would always refer to me as "Debbie Downer" whenever I'd burst their psychological bubbles with my doubts, but I didn't care. Urban legends never seem to be true. At least, that's what I used to think. Now, my mind's been twisted into so many knots, that I sometimes question my own sanity. I don't know what to believe anymore, so I underestimate nothing. I consider every tale, every rumor, every supposed "myth" to be plausible. Call it paranoia all you want; I'm not taking any more chances.
Truth be told, I thought that after the experience had ended, everything would go back to normal. Life would go on, the world would keep spinning, etc. I always thought post traumatic stress disorder was a mental disease reserved only for war veterans. Once again, my ignorant mind mislead me. A year after the "Terror of Sunny Falls", as it later came to be known, I was officially diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder. I kept having visions, nightmares, the whole nine yards, and they wouldn't let up. The physical threat had been eradicated, but the psychological threat was still present, persistent, enduring. I had so many nightmares about that... that damn thing, that I eventually tried to prevent myself from falling asleep altogether. This resulted in severe insomnia on top of my post traumatic stress disorder. I took all sorts of medications, some of which helped alleviate the restlessness and fear, but others were complete duds that didn't do shit. I still struggle with these disorders to this day, although I get much better sleep, and the nightmares aren't as vivid or frequent, so perhaps I'm finally beginning to overcome them. At least, I pray to God that I am.
But, in all of this recollection, I can't help but find it amusing how all of it began in the first place. You may think it was a complex combination of several different factors, or that I was exposed to a cult of some sort. Neither theory is correct. No, this was all started by something so simple, yet so terrifying and unsettling. This was all started by one of my friends' favorite urban legends, that eventually became the bane of my existence. This was all started... by one, single picture.
And that's all you get to see... for now. Thoughts?
But enough, it's time for the moment you've all been waiting for. Grab your flashlight and prepare for your sneak peak into the terror that is "Smile", debuting August 1st. Without further ado:
SMILE
A Supernatural Thriller by Brett M. Fawcett
Based on the Popular "smile.jpg" Urban Legend
A Supernatural Thriller by Brett M. Fawcett
Based on the Popular "smile.jpg" Urban Legend
Prologue
Do you believe in the supernatural? It's perfectly justified if you don't; I used to be one of those people. I was highly skeptical of anything that concerned ghosts, witches, vampires, aliens, you name it. Not anymore. Not after the terror that befell my small, quiet, and peaceful town of Sunny Falls. I tried to ignore it, to reassure myself that it was just a persistent nightmare that I'd eventually wake up from, but reality has an annoying tendency to bite you right on the ass, and before I could even wrap my head around the whole situation, my life was changed forever.
I can't explain how or why it began. There was no forewarning, no stipulation that any of my friends or I broke. We were just a curious group of young adults with a fascination for urban legends. Well, my friends were, at least. As stated before, I was the skeptic of the group. My friends would always refer to me as "Debbie Downer" whenever I'd burst their psychological bubbles with my doubts, but I didn't care. Urban legends never seem to be true. At least, that's what I used to think. Now, my mind's been twisted into so many knots, that I sometimes question my own sanity. I don't know what to believe anymore, so I underestimate nothing. I consider every tale, every rumor, every supposed "myth" to be plausible. Call it paranoia all you want; I'm not taking any more chances.
Truth be told, I thought that after the experience had ended, everything would go back to normal. Life would go on, the world would keep spinning, etc. I always thought post traumatic stress disorder was a mental disease reserved only for war veterans. Once again, my ignorant mind mislead me. A year after the "Terror of Sunny Falls", as it later came to be known, I was officially diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder. I kept having visions, nightmares, the whole nine yards, and they wouldn't let up. The physical threat had been eradicated, but the psychological threat was still present, persistent, enduring. I had so many nightmares about that... that damn thing, that I eventually tried to prevent myself from falling asleep altogether. This resulted in severe insomnia on top of my post traumatic stress disorder. I took all sorts of medications, some of which helped alleviate the restlessness and fear, but others were complete duds that didn't do shit. I still struggle with these disorders to this day, although I get much better sleep, and the nightmares aren't as vivid or frequent, so perhaps I'm finally beginning to overcome them. At least, I pray to God that I am.
But, in all of this recollection, I can't help but find it amusing how all of it began in the first place. You may think it was a complex combination of several different factors, or that I was exposed to a cult of some sort. Neither theory is correct. No, this was all started by something so simple, yet so terrifying and unsettling. This was all started by one of my friends' favorite urban legends, that eventually became the bane of my existence. This was all started... by one, single picture.
And that's all you get to see... for now. Thoughts?