Disclaimer: This story is a part of our April Fool’s edition, The Goofordian. This story was created by Guilfordian Staff and is not based in fact.

This past year has been unusual with the COVID-19 pandemic, and it does not seem as though the Guilford community will get back to a sense of normalcy anytime soon. Within this past week, there have been several Guilford students on campus who reported weird sightings and occurrences to the Health and Safety Department.

“I was walking to the North Apartments from Founder’s Hall after grabbing dinner when I noticed someone watching me from the shadows,” stated MaryAnn Wilson, a sophomore English major. “It was really dark and hard to see, but there was something red on their face. I couldn’t get away soon enough.” 

Wilson was not the only one who had a strange encounter. 

“I was walking to my car when I was attacked,” said junior psychology major Jacob Stanley. “The person came up to me from behind and bit my neck. The pain was unbearable, and I remember yelling out for help. Luckily, someone saw what was happening and came to help. The attacker ran away but I didn’t get a good look at who it was.”

As if these two incidents were not enough, Jonathan Greene, a first-year education major, spoke up about his roommate: “Mark had to be quarantined for two weeks because he tested positive for COVID-19. I thought he was getting better, but one night when I returned to our dorm, he had a random girl there. She was lying on the floor, and there were two bite marks on her neck and her right wrist. He was just sitting there in front of her with her blood on his lips. When he looked up at me, I felt the sudden urge to run. He was not himself.”

There have been many more reports of similar incidents from students that live on campus. These unnatural events have started to cause worry and panic within the Guilford community. Students are unsure of their safety and whether or not they should leave campus until these issues are resolved. The common denominator of these events is that the students who are acting strangely all tested positive for COVID-19. Is this just a coincidence?

“We want to ensure the safety of the students and will be investigating these incidents that have been reported on campus,” stated Jermaine Thomas, director of Public Safety. “We encourage students to stay safe and to continue to report anything unusual. We recommend that students remain in their dorms. If you have to go somewhere, it is best to travel in pairs until the situation is under control.” 

“I hope they find out why this is happening soon,” said Wilson.“I just want things to be normal again. I’m terrified to leave my dorm, even for food.” 

“I was lucky enough to find another place to stay since Mark has changed,” said Greene. “I don’t even want to go back to get my things. I don’t think I can ever go back there with him.”

Thomas stated that he has reported these new findings to the CDC in hopes of getting answers about this potential new strain of COVID-19 and that he is hoping to receive more information soon. Could this be the new “new normal?” Are these new side effects of COVID-19 permanent?

“We will continue to search for answers,” Thomas said. “Thank you for your patience and continue to stay safe.”