TAPE 1

The first tape loads in on a lab setting, with large amounts of equipment humming and buzzing in the background. Our attention is immediately focused on a woman dressed in tactical gear and a labcoat. She looks directly into the camera, moves it, and then sits down.

"Is this thing on?

Good, good, it's on." (Adjusts her glasses) "For anybody receiving this recording, this is meant to be a warning.

Who I am does not matter, but what does matter is you heed my warning and avoid the exclusion zone. We are in danger, all of us, and if this place is compromised it could lead to the end of life in Britain as we know it."

(She turns the camera to the screen, showing some images and symbols. Many of them are blurry, but some others can be made out.)

"We've been finding these all over the forest for weeks. Our science team is still trying to make sense of them, but I have reason to believe it's directly connected to the outbreak.

Right now we have fireteams holding the line and using fire to hold back the infected. I'll keep you posted if we learn anything else."

Tape ends

TAPE 2

Tape 2 begins on the same area, just with the camera set to a different angle to reveal a portion of the workspace behind the woman. A body can clearly be seen lying on the medical table, and the woman has a worn, haggered look.

"Log Number Two. I recall you asked in your message you wanted to learn how the outbreak started. Since we started the program of containment finding samples of proof has been difficult, but we have a specimen succesfully processed and safe."

(The camera is turned once more, and the footage abruptly transitions to security footage.)

"They started arriving at the local hospital a few weeks ago. All the symptoms were the same when we examined the patients. Orange spots, coughing bubbles, sneezing lightning- processing that last one was quite tough on the medical staff. Put simply, we had never seen a disease like this before."

(The image changes to show what appears to be a severely decayed person.)

"Within days the infection became more severe. Their bodies turned grey and pale, and neural activity ceased within a week of infection. I am aware this will sound very unprofessional, but it turned them into... zombies."

(Footage comes up, showing several of the infected subjects shambling through the corridors of a hospital. Heavy gunfire is audible in the distance.)

"We had to bring in the army to contain the shambling infected. But what was most concerning was what we found next."

(Footage abruptly cuts back to the camera, which has been detached from its mounting. The speaker picks it up and carries it over to the table. The body is now clearly visible, with the same pallid appearance as in the security footage. The chest cavity is clearly open, and the speaker shines a light on the gap.)

"Autopsy results confirmed the presence of bizarre and abnormal physiology within the subjects consistent with tree bark. Furthermore, it turns out all of the subjects had mentioned coming into contact with trees in the prior days. I shall send footage to you of the contact area in the coming days."

Tape ends

TAPE 3

Tape 3 begins with the camera mounted to something that is moving forward. This object clanks and produces a fair bit of noise, which makes some of the audio hard to make out. A second camera shows the woman from the previous tapes inside some sort of machine.

"I have arrived in the area where patient zero first reported coming into contact with the disease I disclosed to you in the previous communication. I built this suit to give me maximum protection from whatever is within this region, as I cannot risk becoming infected myself.

This is the old coal mine, where the reclamation work was taking place."

(The camera mounted to the machine zooms in, revealing a blue and orange flower sitting at the base of the tree.)

"See the small spore pod there? I conducted tests a few days ago with a drone, and coming within a certain distance activated some sort of defence mechanism, spraying the drone with some sort of strange orange gas. Particles of the gas contained spores, which stuck to the drone.

(The camera swings around, revealing more spore pods hidden throughout the area attached to trees.)

"My analysis of the spores contained on the drone confirmed they were the same ones that the patients inhaled. This is unlike any disease I have ever seen. A plant based pollen spore that turns people into zombies?"

(Suddenly, loud screaming can be heard nearby. The suit swings round.)

"What the fuck was that?"

(The suit lumbers round a corner, and stops where the screaming came from. But nothing is there, apart from a tree.)

"This makes absolutely no sense. I swore there was something there. But trees cannot scream... right?"

Tape ends

TAPE 4

Tape 4 is now in the lab again. The device from the previous tape is in the background, and the woman is looking at the camera.

"I have the answer now. Based on my scans and analysis, I finally can isolate what is causing the disease. The spore pods produce the spores, which in turn produce the zombies. By destroying the pods, we can prevent any further outbreaks and save the local area from further contamination.

I know the risks involved, but I must try. If I do not return, lock off the ar-"

(The tape suddenly jumps, abruptly cutting to the twin camera setup from Tape 3. The device lowers its arm to one of the spores, and a mounted flamethrower sets it ablaze.)

"One down, how many to go?"

(Suddenly, the device is knocked down, and the camera looks up at a strange creature hovering in the air. A voice is suddenly heard.)

"You thought you could defeat the power of the Ancient Ones, Doctor Firstmorne? What folly. The forest shall rise again!"

(Large numbers of zombies rush the camera. The flamethrowers fire up to burn them as the device starts to back up.)

"Damnit! Running low on fuel! (Looks directly into the internal camera) This is the only warning we'll get. Stay away from the forest, stay away, STAY AWA-"

(The tape abruptly cuts off.)

INTERNAL MEMO OF DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND SOCIAL CARE

Owing to the strange circumstances of Dr. Firstmorne's disappearance, the region surrounding (REDACTED) is to be declared off limits. We will be co-ordinating with the Ministry of Defence for further actions to contain (REDACTED).

These tapes are to remain top secret, and can only be viewed by those with Security Clearance 5 or higher.

Author's Note

Well, hello everybody, and welcome to my first experiment with epistolary horror! An epistolary novel is one written in the style of letters or some other form of communication, and for this story I chose to use the format of video recordings as an homage to the originator of the genre The Blair Witch Project.

Other major sources of inspiration for this project include the films of George Romero, the 2002 classic 28 Days Later, and the following video, which actually inspired me to write this:

(WARNING: GRIMDARK AS FUCK. I'm serious, it makes Shed 17 seem like Tellytubbies in comparison.)

So, I hope you enjoyed, and that a spine chilling tale helped send a shiver down your spine during these hot summer days. See you soon for something a bit more light-hearted.