The horror genre takes a terrifying new turn

Art By Mia Boutelle.

By Mia Boutelle

One of the most popular games the past couple of months has frozen many players with fear. Possibly one of the scariest survival horror games to come out this year has been Five Nights at Freddy’s.

The basic of the game is that you are a man named Mike Schmidt who has taken up a security guard position at the popular children’s pizza parlor, Freddy Fazbears Pizza. (Similar to how we have our Chuck E. Cheese’s) However, on your first night on the job, you are told that the animatronics that are in the place roam at night, and you have to be careful that they don’t show up where you happen to be watching them.

Five Nights at Freddy’s is a point and click game, of course meaning that all you do is point and click to actually accomplish. Being a survival horror game adds to the difficulty, which means that you can’t fight off anything that comes for you, instead the only thing you can possibly do is close the door if anything gets too close, but be cautious, any time you close the door, it takes up power. At first, it sounds quite simple, getting through the first six hours, but then you progress to the next night, then the next, and which each night you pass, it gets much harder.

Being a fan since it was released, I highly recommend it! Being recently released on Steam, Android and iOS devices, it can be played on almost any device, so you could bring horror on the go! The game is definitely challenging, and is great for anyone interested in the survival horror genre. So if you happen to be interested, the games demo can be downloaded for free on the website. This is a must have for anyone who loves horror!

Cadet learns meaning of the sentry

By Kayla Jones

Crack.

The sounds of the woods surrounded me, crying out their usual nightly song.

Snap.

It had been four days since I’d had a proper night’s sleep and what was at first serene, now drove me to near insanity.

Creeeeeak.

Their eyes watched us from the tree lines, waiting for the perfect time to strike.

We had three days left of Basic Leadership Training and each of the cadets knew it would be three days of hell. Colonel was his normal self, an erratic mix of amicable and angry. Senior Chief, however, was terrifying.

“Take charge of your post! Be especially watchful at night!” He barked at us, veins throbbing in his forehead, unleashing a torrent of rage that none of us knew he had. We stared back blankly, not comprehending what he meant. The words he spoke were two of the General Orders to the Sentry; 11 sentences cadets were forced to memorize their first year in the program. We asked ourselves, but how could they apply to this camp?

The second night, the boys camp lost their camp flag. That’s when the yelling began. The third night, they lost it again. It was up to the girls to guard our flag with extreme caution, to pick up the boys’ slack.

It was somewhere between two and four in the morning. None of us knew; none of us were allowed to. The campfire flickered and moaned in front of me, threatening to die without further attention. I could feel the gaze of my fellow watch-woman. An unspoken plea left her eyes and I knew that she wanted me to attend to the dying flames. With one final scan of the stygian forest, I stood from my chair, leaving our flag in the absent-minded care of the junior next to me. She looked nervous so I whispered encouragement. “Keep watching the trees. They’ll leave us alone if we keep calling out.”

But my words fell on deaf ears. I bent towards the fire, ash kicking up in my face. The smoke billowed around me, drowning out the damp musk of the trees.

And then it happened. Everything was over in the blink of an eye. The crunching of dirt under shoe rang in my ears, which only meant one thing. Glancing up, my thoughts were confirmed as I caught the last step our perpetrator took before snatching out flag in his hands. With a devilishly triumphant smirk, he plucked the guidon out of the ground and stalked off back into the woods with his prize.

Take charge of your post.

Be especially watchful at night.

Challenge all persons on your post.

Senior Chief’s words repeated in my head. Everything clicked into place and now made sense. It was our job. If this were a real base, someone could have died. And it would’ve been our fault. We had failed this one simple mission, and it was all my fault.

Emotion boiled over in my chest, the already present contempt I had for the girl next to me turning into pure hate. Without thinking, air bum rushed my lungs, filling them so abruptly that it shocked even myself. And before I could stop it, a loud bellow escaped from between my lips.

“NO!”

It woke up half the camp.

It’s Not Easy Being This Cool: Alex Bowling

By Kim Doane

Alex Bowling looks fairly comfortable under Hobbknob’s dim lighting in his plaid shirt and jeans. He sips an iced vanilla coffee as he talks energetically about the new life he’s living as an FC graduate.

“I work at UPS now,” he said. “I make a decent amount of money, and they pay for my college tuition at IUS, so it’s a pretty great job.”

Not only is it a good job, but Bowling plans to move up in the ranks. In fact, he was recently promoted from “bagger” to a member of UPS’s safety committee. This means that instead of bagging packages all evening, he’ll be going around with a clipboard making sure that everyone is doing their job properly.

Of course, when he’s not at work, Bowling is a computer science and informatics major at Indiana University Southeast.

“Computer science and informatics is basically the same major,” he explains. “Basically by getting a degree in computer science, I’ll also get a degree in informatics.”

Bowling seems incredibly excited about his future and plans for the use of his college degrees. When he gets out of college, he wants to continue to work a steady job as he builds a graphic design portfolio.

“I’m really into doing graphic design for video games and stuff,” he confessed. “I really like it because you can take your imagination and just create something with it. It’s really cool to see it come to life.”

When asked about her feelings on her son’s future plans, Robin Bowling proved to be the epitome of a supportive mother.

“I’m glad that he has something that he’s passionate about, and I support him 100 percent. I have no doubt that if that’s what he wants to do, then he’ll be successful at it.”

However, Bowling does more with his life than attend classes and drive home from a busy night at UPS in the early hours of the morning. His social schedule is also fairly packed.

“Every Wednesday, my friends and I go out for Wing Wednesday. It’s kind of like a tradition.”

Wing Wednesday is that special time of the week where you can get unlimited, boneless chicken wings for a decently low price. While many people seem to favor Buffalo Wild Wings for their Wing Wednesday needs, Bowling and his friends tend to frequent Hooters.

“I know that sort of sounds bad,” he laughed, referring to the waitresses in the low tops and short skirts. “But the wings are still really good, and they’re cheaper than BW3’s.”

Even if they’re not going out for wings, Bowling still spends a great deal of his time with his close friends from high school, Ryan Heverly and Mitchell Trimble.

“I met Mitchell in third grade, actually.” He leans back in his chair, thinking back to a simpler time. “I had just switched into the class. On the first day, I was talking to one of my friends at the time. Then I turned around really fast, and Mitchell turned around really fast, and we literally bumped heads. We’ve been best friends ever since.”

“My family and I had moved around a lot, and I was glad when I found Alex. We just connected on a lot of different levels,” said Trimble in response to Bowling’s heartfelt story.

Trimble and Bowling spend a lot of their time together playing video games. They especially “enjoy messing with the younger players” on Xbox live, a common pastime according to Bowling. However, the video game dream team’s traditions may change now that Bowling has received his brand new Oculus in the mail, which he was very excited about.

The Oculus is a goggle-like gaming device that simulates a virtual reality. Currently, its consumer market consists of video game developers, or people with an interest in developing video games. Bowling plans to develop some of his own original games for it when he finds free time.

Yes, life has been fairly smooth sailing for Bowling since he tossed his graduation cap into the air, and his diploma was received. Bowling seems very excited for his future and what it has in store for him. This FC graduate is going places.

Cancer strikes close knitted family

By Savannah Bartel

My body began to heat up, my palms were sweaty. I could feel my stomach beginning to ache. I anxiously waited for an answer as well as my family. I thought to myself, “What did she do so wrong to deserve this”?

I sat there feeling helpless to my aunt laying there suffering. Her skin had a glow, and her eyes were gloomy. They then wandered around the room like she was in a fantasy dream, and she was happy all of the sudden.

The room was full of comfort and faith, but a small portion was full of discomfort and confusion. Suddenly, someone knocked on the door; and it was the nurse. The room was quiet, and everyone had a serious look on their face. Also their eyes were about to pop out of their head while they were trying not to cry. Everyone sat patiently waiting for the nurse to give some answers. The nurse looked at us with a slight grin and her head tilted.

“I’m sorry but I’m afraid the cancer has spread through her body and into her bones.” The room became still as if the world stopped turning. “ It’s just a dream” I thought, but it ended up being more like a nightmare that turned into reality. Everyone sat there with blank looks on their faces, while her five-year-old son sat by the window making noise and  playing trucks as if he was at home.

The doctors explained there was nothing more they could do, and the chemotherapy stopped working. Soon the days got shorter and the nights got longer. I tried to sleep, but there were voices going in and out of my head. I wish those voices were good, but they were just thoughts of “Why and How?” The time came for us all to get together and share the best memories we had of her. Later that day the doctor came in to tell us that we should tell the family to come in and say their goodbyes. Then one by one each family member would come into the room. Everyone expressed to the family how sorry they were  and then said their goodbyes. Suddenly out of the blue, my aunt was mumbling something under her breath.  With a soft whisper my aunt started singing amazing grace. Everyone then had a sense of relief. This was a sad time for everyone in my family, but when she sang those few words that gave a sense of peace in the room. Then, a few moments later my aunt took her last breath and passed away.

Through this whole moment in my life I will never forget what my mom had told me. She said, “Your aunt died with a smile on her face, and her skin had a glow.”

Then my mom looked at me in the eyes and said, “She saw Jesus.”

Freshman pursues modeling dream

 By Alyssa Crowl

Bright eyes gaze in the mirror. Adjusting her newly-picked outfit, freshman Olive Flick rolls out her duffel bag to begin laying out multiple, unique and gorgeous outfits. Directors and advisors scramble around everywhere in the studio to begin preparations for the first photoshoot. With a grin of satisfaction, Flick is almost ready to begin her long day of the bright flashes of cameras and the intricate poses that were served in her long Saturday.

“My parents got me into modeling when I was four, so I’ve modeled for 10 years. They said my eyes really stood out,” said Flick.

Before any photoshoot begins, a must-have is makeup for a flawless finish. Makeup artist Kim Scheppegrell, who has also done the makeup for Christina Aguilera, begins laying out her tools to help Flick for her first photoshoot with Heyman Talent Agency.

Scheppegrell has an abundance of experience when it comes to makeup.

“I’ve worked with and trained under Scott Barnes, who is actually the one who made J.LO known for her glow,” said Scheppegrell.

However, Flick is used to the long process of getting her makeup done. She had previously worked with agencies like Alix Adams and Cosmo. Now she is beginning with the Heyman Talent agency whom she found herself.

“My mom and I go to Joseph’s Salon in Louisville and there’s a hairstylist there named Trudy Hunt who noticed me and she has known Chris, a director there, for a while and recommended me to Heyman Talent,” said Flick.

Flick has been modeling for as long as she can remember and can’t wait to begin with this new agency.

like modeling so much because I’ve done it so long that it’s just something that kinda takes me back and I can still do it for as long as I want. I love getting my makeup done too,” she said.

Gaining experience from different shoots, she has also done different kinds of styles of photos.

Flick tries to keep the shoots very serious and fashionable. She looks much older for her age since she is competing with girls who are 18 years old while she is only 15. If she wants to make a career out of modeling she will have to be a step ahead of her competitors.

Flick said that sometimes modeling can be a bit hectic. One day, Flick modeled on TV for WDRB in a segment called the Do’s and Dont’s of Swimwear.

“We had to get there at 3:45 in the morning and it started at 5 and it was freezing! It was like late winter or early spring, and it was still really cold in the morning, and it was really windy that morning too. So we came in from the parking lot and our hair was all done and everything. But because of the wind we had to fix everything. We even brought in these black signs to cover the faces of the people wearing the Dont’s of swimwear, and they were completely torn in half,” said Flick.

Even if modeling can be hard and crazy its worth it in the end and the success it will bring tops off the stressful moments.

Being hopeful, Flick said if her modeling gets really successful and everything works, then more than likely she will try to make a lifetime career out of it. Also, she is very excited to meet many talented photographers like the man she met at her new agency.

In Flick’s photo shoot photographer, runway and placement director Chris Kaufman is a freelance director who is helping to shoot Flick’s first couple pictures with Heyman Talent. Kaufman has even been Jennifer Lawrence’s agent.

“Your photos are the most important thing that a new model will do, and you’ll never be worse than your first photo shoot. That’s when you’re the most raw. Certain people, like actors who have training, can adapt in front of the camera situation fairly well, but when you get really young girls and really it doesn’t have to do with age, they can be older; if your just not comfortable in front of the camera then your going to have problems. My procedure is to get people in here and start studying photographs and start studying the models in magazines like I did with Olive,” said Kaufman

Models must be able to get into the photo shoot prepared having studied beforehand. That way they can bring more into the phot oshoot.

“A model’s job is to create the shot not to just stand there and be pretty. So when you talk about Olive, Olive is not to stand there and be pretty for a shoot. She has to get in there and create an interesting shot,” he said.

A photographer cant work models into intricate and contorted picture you see in high magazines. You must first study and learn.

“For someone like Olive to get very good and ready for her shoots, is to begin that process of studying the best models in the world and to come in and start to replicate them. So really, is it about their inherent beauty or is it about a skill? They have to learn it’s about their skill set; it’s not about their beauty, everybody’s beautiful, it’s about how good they can work and create a shot,” said Kaufman.

Scheppegrell also makes a great point about careers and the future.

“Do what you love and you’ll never work a day in your life. I love it and it makes such a difference,” said Scheppegrell with a smile.

Flick agreed with what Scheppegrell said earlier in the day.

“Whatever you want to do, like if you ever did it as a kid or if you really like doing it, then keep doing that because then it’s not work if you have to keep doing it over and over again. If you have a dream, and you really have a dream; not if you just wake up in the morning saying, ‘Oh I wanna be a chef when I grow up,’ No, if you really have a dream and you really commit to it, then you should do it because that’s awesome,” said Flick.

The clock was ticks and it is time for makeup before the photo shoot. With her perfect outfit planned, Flick sits down in her chair and lifts her head up for the makeup artist. The long process has begun but it’s an exciting one. All of Flick’s clothes are laid out somewhat in a hurry; however, there was no other place she would rather have been than in the studio to keep fulfilling her dreams.

Olive Flick Fast Facts

• Favorite Color?  Purple
• Favorite Movie?  The Breakfast Club
• Favorite Animal?  Giraffe
• If you could have one superpower, what would it be? Super speed
• Interesting Fact?  Plays the violin and the viola

Young girl experiences discrimination among peers

By Hanna Alesachra

While walking down the sidewalk on a cool, fall afternoon my grandmother decided to take my little brother and I to the park. Children filled the playground, running and laughing. It was like any other day at the park. But one that I’ll never forget.

As my little brother and I went to go play; I noticed something. People were staring at us.  I didn’t know what to do, so I stood there.

I saw one of the kids point at my grandma. Suddenly, I realized they were acting like that because my grandma was wearing a hijab, an Arabic head scarf. My grandma didn’t seem to care. She was used to people staring.

Sadly, discrimination still happens to this day. People are different, different sizes, different races, and different ages. Your skin color or your own beliefs don’t define who you are.

People are still going to judge you in the end thanks to society. Nobody should be ashamed of the person they are.

One freshman misses the life of the party

By Anya Davenport

His dark fur, his big brown eyes, his tail, his everything, was just perfect. Until one day he was diagnosed with cancer in his long left leg. That was the saddest day of our lives. We sat there looking at him limping and trying to walk and the pain inside of me was just unbearable. I couldn’t even look at him anymore. I loved him and I still do. His little stub tail was the life of the party. He was mine, and I will never ever forget about my little Rottweiler Alice. He was my everything, my whole life. I came home and played with him everyday, chased him in the yard, he chased me in the streets, and got on the trampoline whenever I did. I never once saw Alice have a sad face unless he saw us have peanut butter.

Those days after the vet said he had bone cancer in his left leg, everything went downhill.Alice just didn’t seem like himself anymore. He didn’t really do much-he was always sleeping or laying down. My Alice never really played much anymore, and when we came up to him he never sat up-he just stayed there on the ground. His body couldn’t handle the weight of the world anymore. I wanted to do everything I could to keep him happy and alive. I cried myself to sleep every night thinking what would happen to him during the night and if he would still be there tomorrow morning. He didn’t eat much, but he drank a lot. He didn’t move so much as anyone wanted him to and it felt like Alice’s life just kind of vanished when it really didn’t.I cried. A lot. We all cried and the morning my brother, sister, and I went to school we all said our goodbyes and took some of his hair and we hugged him because we all knew we wouldn’t see him again.

My mom and dad cremated him and we still have those ashes in our house. It was Sept. 24, 2010. When we came home from school we didn’t see him and I went straight back to my room and cried the rest of the day until I fell asleep. Alice won’t always be on our minds but will always be in our hearts, especially mine. His dark fur, his big brown eyes, his bushy little stub tail, his everything, was just perfect from snout to stub.

Dedication to Uncle Ryan

By Tor Chaleunphonh

 

Ask me who I love the most,

And I would tell you that it would be my Uncle Ryan

Because for me there would be no denying that he was who I admired.

 

Now let me tell you why it’s him.

He watched me play soccer,

Taught me baseball and how to skate.

How to respect a girl,

And get your first date,

And that you can’t look on you past mistakes

But instead learn from them in the future.

Now looking back, he did so much for me and I would do anything to have him back.

 

Don’t ask me why bad things happen to good people,

Cause I don’t know.

Why he had to die so damn young,

I don’t know.

Looking back on that clear, blue, sunny day

As his life was slowly slipping away.

As friends and family came to say goodbye,

You could see me as tears fell slowly down my face

As I cried.

 

When friends and family went on their way,

My family and I decided to stay.

We each said goodbye and how much we would miss him,

But when it came to my turn, I couldn’t say anything.

He smiled at me, though, and said not to miss him

Because he was going to a place, free of pain and the only pain he felt was leaving us.

 

I see him every day, through the people I know.

Through the kind, caring nature that they show.

And it reminds me of how much I miss him,

Because he was my mentor and my best friend.

 

Sophomore shares her personal experience with teen depression

By Faith Oppel

“Help me.”

The dingy walls of the hotel room seemed to close in, suffocating me as those two tiny words glared up at me menacingly from the screen of my phone. The smile that had lit up my face mere seconds before was rapidly replaced with a furrowed brow and slack jaw. I desperately tried to wrap my mind around the intensity of the situation, but found myself unable to. My phone clattered noisily to floor and it was then that I realized how badly I was shaking. Picking it up gingerly, I typed out a quick response, waiting for a text that I subconsciously knew would never come.

It was at the moment that I made the mistake of trying to picture the situation my friend was in. My body was a disastrous mix of nausea and guilt, and I fought off the urge to scream expletives at the top of my lungs. How could I have let it get this far? Because of my silence, one of my closest friends was lying alone on her bedroom floor, crimson rivers erupting from her delicate wrists and staining the carpet.

After what seemed like an eternity of silence, I was left with no choice but to try and call her. Up until that point I had carefully avoided talking, because I tried to reason with myself that if I didn’t speak this nightmare of a situation wouldn’t be real. However, when I got the answering machine three times in a row, I would have given anything in the world to have a conversation with her.

My body seemed to switch gears and I flew into action. With quivering fingertips, I contacted a trusted friend and relayed to her the details of the problem at hand. As we both continued to try and get ahold of her, prayers littered the air above my head like smoke signals. I pleaded with a merciful God for the life of my best friend, not caring what it took to keep her on this earth a little bit longer.

To my amazement and relief, I received a message from her not even 10 minutes later. She told me that her mom had fortunately gotten home in time to staunch the bleeding. Call it what you may, but I believe it was by divine intervention that I had not lost one of my dearest friends.

Lying in bed that night, I began to cry the tears that I had kept bottled up for the past few hours. I cried not just for my friend, but for anyone else that found themselves in her shoes.

The sad reality is that teen suicide is becoming increasingly common in today’s society. While the rest of America is busy singing nursery rhymes about sticks and stones, words are breaking more than just the bones of some adolescents; they’re battering and bruising their spirits.

What’s even worse is the fact that even as it becomes more prevalent, so does the mockery. Rather than try to help, people would much rather joke about it. The amount of times I’ve heard people tell their friends to go kill themselves is virtually innumerable, but I could count on one hand how many people have tried to correct such perverse humor. They don’t realize the impact that they have on those around them.

I’ve been told before by my peers who enjoy such jokes that I need to lighten up. But they have never experienced the horror of a loved one attempting to commit suicide and the overwhelming guilt of knowing you could have prevented it. Maybe everyone else is okay with being the reason someone ends their life, but I refuse to be.

Freshman reveals steps of hope for her life long mentor

By Allie Lincoln

Love is the key to steps in a journey of hope.

The cotton fabric finally fills my icy hands with warmth as I pull on my purple gloves. The paper full of song lyrics flutters back and forth in my shaking hands. I glance up at the silvery glow of the moon. It added just enough brightness to provide the house in front of me with a single spotlight. Darkness crept through that very house. It seemed as if the entire neighborhood lay asleep. The chorus of angels standing in Mary Briscoe’s front lawn told otherwise.

Whispers float around, almost traveling as a soft breeze. Only the occasional flashlight sparks a flicker of color. We wait patiently for the signal. Soon, it comes, a ghostly hand waving from the porch. Voices begin to arise.

“Angels we have heard on high sweetly singing o’er the plains, and the mountains in reply echoing their joyous strains.”

Lights blink on from inside the now wide-awake house. A small smile reaches my numb lips. The curtain. A ever so slight movement catches my eye. The curtain pushes back to reveal a face-a face of hope.

“Silent night, holy night. All is calm. All is bright.”

My attention transfers to the heavenly voices humming around me. Some people sing on perfect pitch, while other voices wobble to and fro. Love surrounds me. Children scream the familiar tunes and adults mouth the lyrics. It didn’t matter the way, everyone was showing their support.

A creak leads my eyes to the opening wood door. There sat my first grade teacher. A blanket wrapped around her shoulders, and a polka-a-dot scarf  tied tightly around her now bare head. Her trembling hands clasp each other, and she sways slightly with the music. Her eyes, so full of memories, life, love, and hope, were now brimming with silent tears.

“We wish you a Merry Christmas, and a happy New Year.”

The last note echoes proud and strong.  A gust of air sweeps over us, and an utter silence moves around the crowd. Finally, two arms of a stranger envelop my past teacher. A line forms, so that each individual gets an opportunity to spend a moment embracing and murmuring a sentence or two to her. When the time comes for me to go up, I bite my lip to keep the tears from falling.

“I love you, sweetie,” she sighs, her eyes beaming with thankfulness.

My teacher was diagnosed with brain cancer that Christmas. Our community came together to give her hope. She needed to understand that we would be there for her during everything she would have to endure. She was there for us, and now it was time for us to show our life-long mentor how she changed our lives. She will never be alone. Love is precious. It comes and goes, but it never entirely leaves our hearts.