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Archivist
Statement of James Cassiel Taylor, regarding a cockroach infestation in his closet. Recorded direct from subject, June 5th, 2016.
James
I have… a bad habit, of letting my room get messy. To the point the floor is covered in papers and discarded clothes from when I have the energy to change, with only a clear path from my door to my bed.
When I finally decided to clean, I began with my closet, clearing out unfolded clothes and old toys. Pushing jackets aside, I saw a tangled cluster of… squirming, fluttering cockroaches, a seemingly endless number of them pouring from a rotted hole in the back of the closet.
A sickeningly sweet smell leaked from the closet after that, like the scent of rotten fruit. I tried to forget about the hole, telling myself it was nothing that a sleep-deprived hallucination, but the occasional scratching of cockroaches made it impossible to pretend it was merely a figment of my imagination
I’d plugged the hole under the closet doors with rolled up blankets to make sure nothing inside could escape. I refused to open it to get clothes, wearing whatever I had on my floor instead.
This worked for a while, until everything was permeated with the sickening stench, which remained regardless of how many times I washed my clothes. I knew if I bought more, they’d be ruined eventually as well.
And so, I decided to open the closet and evict everything in it, starting over. I slowly opened the door, and out came what can only be described as a tide of twitching, stinking bugs. They scuttled up my legs, and I fought to stay upright, almost keeling over- but I knew, somehow, that if I did that I wouldn’t rise again.
I scrambled to the door, yanking it open and stumbling down the hall. I didn’t think to close the door- even if I had, they wriggled under the crack.
I’m not one to be scared of bugs. But these… these were different. These weren’t normal bugs, you have to believe me. They were wrong, but I can’t tell you why.
I-I would, if I could, obviously. This is going to sound stupid, but they just… felt wrong. There’s nothing that looked off, just… a vibe, you know?
Archivist
A... vibe.
James
Yes. A Vibe. They weren't normal. You have to trust me. Please- please trust me.
Archivist
Alright, alright. Please continue the statement.
James
The bugs- they came for me. I locked myself in the bathroom with a can of hairspray, dousing any of the godforsaken things that got under the door. I wish I'd had the mind to grab my lighter, but I was stuck in there.
Once I was close to passing out- I'd been in there for hours and barely slept the night before- I jammed a towel under the door and fell asleep in the tub.
When I woke up, I was... covered. Their disgusting, prickly little legs were scuttling all over my face. I opened my mouth to scream, and one flew into my mouth, landing on my tongue.
Did you know cockroaches can fly? I did, but I'd never seen it happen. I threw up right after, covered in hundreds of bugs and stomach acid. I was frozen. I couldn't move- I'm not even scared of bugs. I love them, in fact. I've even tried my hand at pinning moths, beetles, and the like. But I don't know if I'll be able to look at them the same anymore, y'know?
I turned the shower on, trying to get as many off as I could. I think a few got tangled in my hair. But I got most of them.
I fled to my friend Marvin's house after that, soaked and stinking. They made a few snide comments, as they are wont to do, but they did let me use their shower. After throwing my gross clothes covered in puke into the wash, I did my best to explain what happened to Marv. They were... obviously skeptical, but said they believed me, and I came here a few days later. I've been staying with them since.
So, is there- anything you can do? Any way to get them out?
Archivist
We'll send someone over to see what can be done. You don't happen to have any of the roaches for examination, do you?
James
Ah! I do, actually!
[A quiet, shuffling noise]
Here you go!
Archivist
Thank you. We'll be in contact if anything comes of the investigation.
James
Is that all you need of me? If so, I'll be on my way. Marvin and I are seeing a movie in about an hour, and I need to get ready!
Archivist
Yes, it is. Have... fun on your date, I suppose?
Statement ends
We did follow up on Mr. Taylor's issue. Alas, his apartment was unable to be saved. The Corruption had taken too deep of a hold in it at that point, so he continued living with his friend. The bugs did seem to be mostly the same as your average roach, save for the fact they appeared to decompose at a rate far faster than what would be expected. Investigation is still being conducted as to why.
Recording ends.
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