Stephanie couldn’t help but weep as she saw her lover encased in a perspex cell, unable to touch them. It had been a decade since their extra terrestrial visitors had first made their appearance from beyond the stars, but after a period of unsteady peace and adaptation the star people had joined their human counterparts in a new, blended society. Stephanie herself was one of the first humans who took the further step of seeking out companionship with one of the star people. Her lover’s name was unable to be pronounced by human tongue but together they’d settled on ‘Teeva’ as an acceptable substitute. Together they’d shared a love of gardening and learned much from each other.

As the gas mask was thrust into her hands Stephanie briefly snapped out of her reverie. With tear-filled eyes she looked up at the masked soldier who’d given it to her.

‘Put it on.’ they barked. It wasn’t a suggestion nor a request but a command. Stephanie struggled with the straps and the too-tight head covering until it was on. It was near impossible to breathe and the eyepiece steamed up immediately. She wondered to herself what the point was of allowing her to see her lover for a final time if they could barely communicate.

It was just last week Stephanie began coughing up blood. She’d suffered a childhood bout of pneumonia and so wasn’t afraid but Teeva had insisted on her seeing the doctor immediately. What began as a routine checkup turned into a hospital visit, chest x ray, and waiting around in blank white rooms with whispered conversations of ‘spores’ and ‘unprecedented growth’. She hadn’t been allowed to go home that night, and only was allowed a brief visit to collect her belongings since. The visits from Teeva had also been increasingly rare. In short, she felt ugly. Wrapped in a cocoon of pain and horrified at the state of her own body, Stephanie didn’t feel human, nor alien, but like some kind of primordial slime not good enough to grace the modern world with its presence.

Two days ago was when she finally recieved the diagnosis. A fungal infection unlike anything ever seen before was ripping through her body at an alarming rate, and they knew the source. Her beloved Teeva and the rest of their kind carried mold spores with them that were completely harmless to the star people, but fatal to a suitable host. The ever-present prickling pain in the back of Stephanie’s throat and her steadily swelling stomach seemed to intensify at that moment.

Teeva was taken away the day after, and the government holding cell was where they found themselves. There was little hope for Stephanie now, she could barely walk beyond a waddle and sickly orange growths were appearing on her hands and feet. Unable to do anything else, Teeva pressed their hand against the cell wall and attempted a muffled apology. Stephanie shook her head, knowing she was truly at fault.

All too short, an alarm rang overhead. The door was slammed open and Stephanie was dragged away, fighting as much as her feeble limbs would allow, before she vomited up a perfectly formed toadstool.

(Hey, it’s not great but it’s my first time posting a short story to anywhere on the internet, let alone lemmy. i adored nosleep and i want to encourage more people to post by sharing some of my stuff, too)

It has been exactly 92 days since the first Statues started appeared in the city of Haven, Colorado.

The Statues stand at varying heights, ranging from 0.5m up to 3.2m. Seemingly haphazardly designed, their bodies appear to be crafted from some dull metallic black substance alien to this world. On closer inspection, one might discern faint similarities to heroic figures and creatures within their twisting, shapeless forms.

Numerous efforts to unlock their secrets have been made, however, the Statues remain impervious to all manner of destructive exploratory probes and tests, whether kinetic or thermal in nature. Subjecting the Statues to non-destructive evaluation techniques, such as x-rays, ultrasounds, or even low-power laser scans, were also met with utter futility, as none have succeeded in penetrating the Statues’ exteriors to diverge any meaningful insight into their underlying composition or purposes.

The appearances of the Statues are also curiously lacking in any apparent rhyme or reason. They manifest abruptly, displacing existing features and structures without warning or explanation. Equally perplexing are their disappearances, as the Statues simply vanishes into thin air at random, no trace remains behind to hint at their temporary existance.

Local Haven residents reacted to the appearances of the Statues with emotions ranging from anger to annoyance. Multiple complaints have been filed by local business owners regarding road closures caused by the Statue appearances. Despite this, some local residents have reacted with enthusiasm, creating souvenirs and advertisements in hopes of attracting visitors hoping to witness this phenomenon in person.

One serious incident involved of one of such visitors. Ethan Stevens, 42, stopped at a petrol station near Elm and Main Street, a Statue materialized and displaced portions of his body, his automobile, as well as the pump he was operating. Ethan was killed instantly, but the resulting spark from his automobile ignited a fire which destroyed the entire intersection. In total, 6 people have perished, with 20 more remain in critical condition.

Recent appearances of the Statues have increased in both duration and frequency. Unconfirmed sightings have also been reported outside the city limit for the first time.

Authorities have urged potential visitors to avoid all travel to Haven until further notice.