Diary of a Colonial Marine One Marine's descent into madness

Journal Entry 003448

The doc cleared me for action. Looks like we'll be boarding the Sulaco around some crappy planet that the Weyland-Yutani Corporation tried to colonize. Everyone died down there, including a bunch of Marines. Gotta love the Corps.

Journal Entry 004532

This deployment is going to suck, I can tell already. All these Marines, they're like stereotypes from a really crappy movie. Even the officers. Our captain called us "chicks and dicks." Who says that? This guy O'Neal, he never looks you in the eye when he talks. Actually, none of them do. And they don't look at each other, either. Their eyes... they're like a doll's eyes. Nothing there. Plus the females have freakishly huge hands. It's disconcerting.

Journal Entry 005021

OK, things are starting to come unglued. I'm wondering if the Doc missed something in my psych clearance. Maybe I'm just on edge because of all the acid-filled monsters that keep leaping at me. I don't understand why they come after me every Goddamn time. They bump into the other Marines on their way to attack me. I know they're filled with deadly concentrated acid, but when I get some on me it just sort of burns for a second. No real harm. It's fortunate because I keep sticking my pistol into their mouths and shooting them at extremely close range. If the acid actually did what we were briefed it would, I'd be severely burned over most of my body, and my pistol would be a blob of smoldering waste.

Journal Entry 005659

When we were in infantry school and we had to do those door drills, I thought it was just some stupid punishment. I never thought I'd say it, but for once, our training turned out to be useful. All those hours opening and closing doors. Not to mention welding them closed or cutting them open. I can still hear old Sarge, "A Marine is an opener of doors FIRST, hoorah." If I ever see that bastard again I'll thank him.

Still worried I might be coming unglued. If I get ahead of the other Marines, they'll randomly flash into place next to me. Maybe I'm just not noticing them catching up, but it is really weird.

Journal Entry 007810

OK. I think I'm going Section 8. My squad was standing around saying the dumbest stuff to each other and I swear I was able to... I don't even know how to describe it. It sounds insane, and it probably is, but I was able to walk inside of them. I saw their eyes from the back... their mouths talking. Then I just walked right back out. Am I dead? Am I a ghost who can just pass through other people? This is really messed up.

Journal Entry 012825

I shot a bunch of xenos today and they taunted me from death. One of them just kept thrusting his hips at me, like that classical music video "Gangnam Style." Another's disembodied arms sat there, flailing about, like they were clapping for me, for a job well done. A couple of the others, their heads turned purple and smooth. The shape was still there, but it was totally devoid of all texture. This is bad. This is really bad. I don't think I'm combat-ready any longer, but we still have our mission to complete.

Journal Entry 013009

We're killing people now, Weyland-Yutani mercs. I feel bad about it. I know it's not a Marine's place to overthink this sort of thing, but these guys must be mentally challenged. I shot a guy in the head and took his armor, and when I turned around there was another guy right there, running into the wall. I don't know how he was doing it, but he didn't even know I was there. I put him down. It was like shooting fish in a barrel. I wonder about the level of intelligence in my squadmates. They will empty load after load of ammunition into a crate if one of those mercs is behind it, but bullets don't make it through. Yet still they fire.

Journal Entry 013667

These people, they say the dumbest things. I cringe every time one of them decides to make a quip. I'm embarrassed for them, to be honest.

Journal Entry 013851

I think I've lost it. I really do. Nothing makes sense any more. Nothing. This Marine we found... he was a hostage. For some reason my squad mates made him keep his Abu-Ghraib hood on until we brought him back to the captain. And then it turned out it was a guy who died. The records are explicit about it. There is no question that this Marine is dead. And yet he's talking about... something. I can't even follow it any longer. Damn military shrink, he really blew it on me. I'm friggin nuts and here I am.

Journal Entry 013999

nothing makes sense it never made sense it makes less sense maybe i'm not the crazy one maybe it's all of them who are crazy it can't be me i was cleared i was cleared by the doc

Journal Entry 014001

VITAL SIGNS SELF TERMINATED. MARINE BATTLE JOURNAL ENTRIES COMPLETE. DISSEMINATE UNDER PROVISIONS OF USCMC FORM 7782-D