The Video Store In Boulderville

We don't get many visitors here, really. The town of Boulderville has been borderline-abandoned for many decades now. The once prosperous summer hotspot of the 80s is nothing more now than an old reminder of the memories that were once reality.

I used to work at Boulderville Video. Like many other stores of its type, it quickly went out of business in the late-2010s with the takeover of streaming services. But with a lack of new business to take the building where the store once stood, it remained, the exterior collecting dust, and the inside boarded off from those who remained in the town.

The day began like any other Saturday would, a day to myself to let my mind wander. As I sat in my living room, wondering what I could do to pass the time, my bored eyes met an old DVD case. It was a movie I had taken home from Boulderville Video shortly before it closed down. The case gave me an idea, as I grabbed my phone, backpack, and exited my apartment, beginning the trek downtown to the video store.

Of course, I knew that I would have to find another method of entering the store. Removing the boards from the doors in broad daylight would likely draw suspicion. Luckily, though, I discovered upon looking in the alleyway behind the building that a small ladder led to a roof entrance. From there, I made my way into the building.

It was as small as I remember, only having one main room, which was large enough for the check-out counter and about seven or eight shelves of VHS tapes, DVDs, and a few video games.

Stealing from the insect inhabitants of the old store never hurt anyone.

I browsed the aisles, taking various tapes, discs, and cartridges that interested me. Afterwards, I made my way back to the upstairs section, which was marked as employees-only. In the off chance that my old manager decided to live in the place for some odd reason, I was in luck, as I happened to have my old employee ID in my bag.

Entering the employee break room, I was hit by an awful stench. I quickly located the source: Years-old food left rotting on the table. I groaned as I turned to exit the room. However, my right foot came to a stop before the floor, instead resting on a small rectangular object. A VHS tape.

I looked at it, before leaning over, and picking it up. The only labelling on the object was a white, rotting piece of paper with faded marker on it. The words "W.I.P MASCOT FOOTAGE" were written.

Back in the early 2010s, the video store wanted to take a shot at testing out a store mascot. However, the owner wanted it to be... unique. The mascot was planned to be an animatronic, which had a CCTV-based camera system enclosed in its head for security purposes. According to the label, this was some of that footage.

I entered the manager's office, which, last I was aware of, had a VCR. Luckily for me, my memory was correct. I sat down in my old manager's chair, turned on the CRT television, and inserted the tape into the VCR.

The footage began with a voice.

"Higher management is giving us a year, TOPS, to resolve this. I requested more. They denied it. This place is going down the drain anyways. Obsolete technology, no customers. We're running on fumes. We might be boarded up or condemned within a year." The voice sighed, before continuing. "That mascot... we have to get rid of it. It isn't normal. The following footage is taken from immediately after the incident detailed in my notebook."

As the footage began, showing the mascot only standing in the corner of the main area, I glanced down at the desk. There, a single item sat: A notebook. I grabbed it, opening it and glancing through the pages, before finally locating one with the words "MASCOT INCIDENT" scribbled at the top of the page. I inspected it further, my heart beginning to pound as I investigated.

"Malfunction in behavior systems... grew aggressive... three injured... one dead." I skimmed over the text.

I glanced back up at the monitor, noticing that the mascot had moved. It was now climbing the stairs, albeit slowly, due to the robotic joints.

I held my breath in fear, half-expecting the door to the office to swing open as it did in the footage. The mascot made it's way into the office, moving into the further back left corner, before the footage ended.

As the television turned off, I heard the sound of old electronics powering on.

I grabbed my bag, throwing it over my shoulders as I sprinted for the door. The old mascot in the corner let out a haunting, electronic roar as I swung the door open, and practically flew down the stairs. I began to panic as I reached the exit, realizing that the stairs were blocked now, and the door was boarded up. I could hear the footsteps of the mascot booming closer as I quickly searched for another way out. I found my way out when I spotted a small steel chair, grabbing it, and swinging at the large window beside the door. I continued to swing as the mascot grew closer, now in the main room, and only a few feet away.

The window finally shattered, with the mascot being extremely close. Without a second thought, I dove through the broken window as the store alarms began to go off. I began sprinting, making my way back to my apartment, not looking back once as the sting of cuts from broken glass kept me alert.

The police that arrived on-scene five minutes after I escaped found nothing but a broken window and a few missing items. No mascot, no footage, no rotting food. They determined it to be a small robbery, and even publicly questioned why anyone would try to rob such a place. The report in the town newspaper claimed that no suspect could be named. I preferred it that way, anyway. One thing that has kept me up at night is the detail that they saw no mascot in the store.

Since the incident, a few sightings of some strange, "robot-like" creature have been reported to the police. While they believe them to be prank calls, the similar descriptions of the thing from all callers has disturbed them slightly. As for me, I remain ready. I'm not entirely sure what the mascot is capable of, but I do know that whenever it locates me, I'll be prepared.