Chapter 2: This Morning's News

Contrary to what one may expect, the town’s residents slept peacefully during the night, unaware that anything had transpired. And when they woke up that morning, they proceeded with their daily routines as they normally would. Some of the residents would head off to work, while others stayed home to take care of their kids. But at 9:00 AM, many of the residents would turn on their televisions to channel 8 to watch the daily broadcast of their town’s morning news.

The news broadcast began with a quick visual with some music before cutting to a woman sitting on a desk in the newsroom.

“Good morning, Sunny Springs, New York!” She began to speak with a smile on her face as the camera zoomed in. “My name is Samantha Harrington, coming to you live with this morning’s news.”

“Our first story involves the town’s renowned nanotech facility, where, as of last evening, all of its employees have been reported missing. While access to the facility remains restricted, a member of our crew was able to take a photo from the outside earlier this morning.”

A photo is shown on screen, overlooking the parking lot.

“As you can see, the parking lot is still completely full. We’ll share more details as this story continues to develop.”

“But on a lighter note, reports have come in from the esteemed Newman house of something strange appearing out of their upstairs window.”

“Joining us live in front of the Newman house is our reporter, Dale Conaway.”

A split screen appeared to the right, featuring a young man in front of a large house.

“Hey Dale,” Samantha said. “Great to have you on air.”

“Good morning to you, Samantha.” Dale replied.

“Now, could you tell us what’s going on here?”

“Sure thing, Samantha.”

Dale began walking as he continued to speak.

“From what it looks like, the Newmans seem to have added a second chimney from an upstairs window overnight. And honestly, I’ve never seen anything like it in my life. Same with this blackish grass that has begun growing on their front lawn.”

“Astonishing!” Samantha spoke. “Well, Dale, thank you for your—”

Suddenly, the sound of cheering could be heard in the background.

“Sounds like something exciting is happening over there, Dale.”

“There certainly is.”

The camera panned over to the ‘chimney,’ from which smoke was beginning to come out.

“Was it doing that when you got there, Dale?”

“No, Samantha, it was not.”

“Well, it certainly looks like this year’s Halloween decorations are starting off strong.

“They sure are Samantha. Sending it back to the studio.”

“Thank you, Dale. Up next—”

“Ow!” Dale suddenly exclaimed.

“Dale, are you okay?”

“Yeah," Dale replied. "I just slid up against this strange grass growing on the Newman house’s lawn. It sure is sharp, I’ll tell you. Back to you at the studio, for real this time.”

The side-screen disappeared as the feed on Dale’s side ended.

“Thank you, Dale, for your insightful reporting as usual.”

“We’ll have more news after the break.”

Suddenly, Samantha sneezed violently. “Excuse me,” she said as the screen faded to black.

After a few minutes of advertisements, the broadcast continued:

“Welcome back, Sunny Springs!” Samantha spoke as the broadcast resumed. “Here’s more of this morning’s news.”

“The sun’s shined non-stop in Sunny Springs these past few weeks. But will that continue? Joining us for today’s weather forecast is meteorologist Carl Roberts. Now Carl, can you tell us what the weather will be like this coming week?”

But there was no response. The side-screen appeared, showing the place where the weather was normally reported, but there was no one there.

“Carl?” She asked.

She put her hand to her ear, going silent for a moment, before speaking again after a few moments passed.

“My apologies, but it appears that Carl was unable to make it here today. Everyone, please send Carl your warm regards so that he can make a swift recovery.”

After this, she continued with the show, smiling again as she did.

“Filling in for Carl will be myself.”

A weather graphic appeared on a screen behind her.

“We are once again looking at fantastic weather this coming week. Temperatures should be in the high seventies to low eighties, and you should expect sunny weather the entire week. And fellow parents, there is no better time than now to take your kids to the pool for some summer fun!”

The screen changed again, cutting to a traffic map.

“As for traffic, if you’re headed to the Big Apple, be prepared for a ninety-minute drive down the 495. At the same time, a drive around town shouldn’t take you any longer than five minutes. And I know for sure which one I’ll be doing later today.”
The screen behind her then went dark.

“Now, our next story takes us—”

But before she finished her sentence, she stopped again, once again putting her hand to her ear. After another few moments passed, she continued.

“We have just received word of a traffic incident centered at the town’s pharmacy. For more on this newly developing story is our reporter Dale, who just so happens to be on site.”

“Dale,” Samantha began to say as the side-screen appeared, showing the feed on Dale’s end. “Can you tell us what’s going on?”

“Sure thing, Samantha.” Dale said, speaking more groggily than before, while scratching a black mark on his neck. “Currently, traffic is backed up all around the pharmacy. I was on my way too to get some medicine for a migraine I’ve had this past hour, when I also got caught up in the traffic.”

“Any ideas of what the cause of this traffic could be?” Samantha asked.

“I’m not sure.” Dale said, coughing as he turned off the car and opened the door. “I’m going to take a look, and I’ll call back once I have more information.”

“Thank you as always, Dale.”

The side-screen once again disappeared.

“In unrelated news,” Samantha continued. “Renovations to the football field at Sunny Springs High School are nearing completion. And just in time for the school year, when the reigning varsity champions, the Sunny Springs Spartans, take the field again for another exciting football season."

(She coughs)

"The team is still reeling from star quarterback Jake Marino’s graduation last spring. But despite this, the team’s head coach—the school’s gym teacher, Steve Torres—remains confident in his team’s chances, stating that he is certain his team will retain their championship title this coming season. To support this, he brought up the school's incoming freshman slate, who he says have shown ‘great promise’. And among these incoming freshmen, middle-school quarterback Pete Lombardo has proven to be a particular standout. Lombardo, while playing for the Sunny Springs Squirrels, propelled the team to three consecutive championships."

(She coughs again.)

“And since his graduation from Sunny Springs Middle School this past spring, he has expressed interest in trying out for the Spartans, where he is sure to make a big splash. With promising recruits such as Lombardo and more, Torres believes the Spartans will continue to be the best high school football team on Long Island for years to come.”

“Well, I’m sure the Spartans’ next season will be another slam dunk.” Samantha continued.

“Joining us again Dale with an update on the traffic jam at the pharmacy. Dale…”

The screen appears again, showing Dale standing in front of the store.

“What have you found out about the pharmacy?”

“Well, as you can see, Samantha,” Dale began to speak, his eyes now noticeably reddened. “The front doors are locked and sealed, and they appear to have been since at least earlier this morning.”

“That’s strange,” Samantha added. “I could swear they were doing just fine when I went there yesterday. Are you able to see what’s happening inside?”

“That would be a negative, Samantha.”

“Hmmm. Can you share any updates on the traffic?”

“Sure thing,” Dale continued. “Currently, the cars are trying to back out from the pharmacy, and at this point, the traffic should be gone within the next few minutes.”

“That’s great to hear, Dale. I’m looking forward to seeing you back at the studio.”

But Dale did not respond, his focus being elsewhere.

“Dale?” Samantha asked.

“Yes?” Dale said, turning his attention back to Samantha.

“Thank you for your good work as usual. And I’ll see you again when you get back to the studio.”

“Oh, yes. See you then.”

The screen on Dale’s end disappeared.

Turning back towards the camera, Samantha continued.

“We’ll be back with more news after these messages,” she announced as the screen once again faded to black.

After a few more minutes of advertisements, the broadcast continued.

“Welcome back, Sunny Springs, New York. I am Samantha Harrington, bringing you more of today’s news.”

“This morning’s show is brought to you by Peau Puree, cleaning technology so advanced you can almost call it magic! I’ve been using it for weeks, and my skin’s never looked smoother. For perfectly smooth skin and more, purchase a bottle of Peau Puree today.”

There was a momentary pause before she continued to her next segment.

“It’s almost time to head back to school, and parents may be stressed over how to get everything they need for the coming school year. We here at Channel 8 are eager to present to you the best deals in town for—” Samantha paused, putting her hand to her ear again.

“My apologies,” she said after a moment. “But we have more breaking news! A vehicle has just been spotted crashing into a gas pump at the local gas station. This incident is still ongoing, and the vehicle is stated to currently be in flames.”

“Joining us now is our reporter Dale, who just happens to be near the site of the incident.”

“Dale,” Samantha began to say as the side-screen to the right appeared again. However, instead of showing Dale, the footage on the side screen was engulfed in flames. “Can you tell us more about what happened here?”

She received no response.

“Dale?”

She put her hand to her ear again, her demeanor quickly shifting as she did.

“Oh—” she began to say, briefly glancing away from the camera. “Oh dear.”

Nonetheless, she turned her attention back to the camera and continued.

“I—in a shocking turn of events, the vehicle involved in the crash has been confirmed to belong to our reporter, Dale. W—we at channel 8 (she coughs) will be providing you with more updates after the hour. In the meantime (she coughs again) P—please send your best wishes to Dale and (she coughs again) his family.”

“I’m S—(she coughs again) Samantha Harrington. And, I’ll see you tomorrow (she coughs again) for next morning’s—”

At that moment, however, the signal cut out, abruptly ending the broadcast. Unsure how to process what they had just seen, many of the town’s residents resumed their morning routines.

But unbeknownst to anyone at the time, an anonymous individual had managed to record the broadcast, posting it on the internet once it ended. There, it would quickly garner widespread attention, including that of national authorities.