August 2024 – Hayden Coombs

Dark Reflection

It was supposed to be a peaceful getaway, a break from the demands of daily life. My husband and I had decided to spend a few days camping around the Great Lakes, seeking solace in nature. Our trip had gone smoothly until that night, when a sudden bout of illness struck me, threatening to ruinContinue reading “Dark Reflection”

Shadow in the Corner

They say the mind plays tricks in the dark. It shows you things that aren’t really there, makes you hear sounds that don’t exist, makes shadows shift in ways that are impossible. I used to believe that. I used to think that what I saw during those nights of terror were just figments of myContinue reading “Shadow in the Corner”

Unraveling

I don’t know when it all began. Perhaps it was the creaking floors or the shadows that seemed to move when I wasn’t looking. Maybe it was the quiet, insidious dread that gnawed at the edges of my mind, like a rat gnawing at a rope. But whatever the cause, by the time I realizedContinue reading “Unraveling”

Stranger

Every night, I hear pacing in the hallway, but I live alone. When I finally worked up the courage to check, I found worn footprints on the carpet—an exact match to my own.

My First Book: Communication & Administration of Intercollegiate Athletics

Why I Wrote Communication & Administration of Intercollegiate Athletics For years, I have watched students struggle with the cost of textbooks. In the field of sports management and athletic administration, the problem is particularly glaring. Traditional textbooks are often priced outrageously, sometimes costing students hundreds of dollars for a single course. As an educator, IContinue reading “My First Book: Communication & Administration of Intercollegiate Athletics”

The Threshold

I can’t recall the precise moment when I stopped trusting my own mind. It might have been weeks ago, or perhaps months; time has become a blurry, indistinct concept. My days bleed into nights, my nights into days, with only the vaguest of transitions between. Lately, I’ve been finding it difficult to tell where myContinue reading “The Threshold”

Outpost Epsilon

I never believed in ghosts. Not really. Even as a kid, when my friends would spin tales of haunted houses or cursed woods, I’d just laugh it off. Maybe it’s because I’ve always been more practical, more grounded. I mean, what good is believing in something you can’t see, can’t touch? The military only reinforcedContinue reading “Outpost Epsilon”