Before I begin, I need you to remind yourself of something. You are not a triangle. You are a human being.

Do not forget that.

Avid readers of HorrorBuzz know that I’ve been a fan of Alone: an existential haunting from the very first time I came across them after I moved to Southern California. Their shows are always vastly different; from city-wide scavenger hunts, to experimental theater pieces, to immersive walk-through experiences. As I’ve said many times before, calling them a haunt would be a disservice to what they do. Over time, an overarching, interweaving story has emerged, with things previously thought to be inconsequential wind up tying into their underlying agenda.

At the end of their last “storyline” (if we can call it as such any longer), we were introduced to ALONE inc., a multifaceted organization that has seemingly been behind all of Alone’s experiences since they sprung onto the scene during the haunt season back in 2013. The prospect of ALONE inc. intrigued me. Who or what is behind this corporate entity, and why have they been conducting experiments in human emotion for the past few years?

Remnants of my findings and experiences with ALONE inc.

Remnants of my findings and experiences with ALONE inc.

For a long time, I chocked all of this up to incredible, immersive theater, with fantastic story lines played out by the creators of Alone. However, while doing a little bit of research on their next show, I found that the rabbit hole goes much, much deeper than that.

Stay with me, now, as what I am about to say is pretty strange, but I assure you, I am not crazy.

While researching Alone, their experiences, and their overall existence, I have come to the conclusion that ALONE inc. is a real, functioning entity that has been operated on the fringes of corporate America, and the world, for years. In fact, the story of Alone’s experiences doesn’t begin in 2013…it goes back much, much further than that.

At first, I found clues hidden among random internet searches. However, most of what you read about ALONE inc. on the web is carefully and strategically placed. There are certain things they want you to find out about them, to learn more about what they stand for and why they are here, to intrigue you just enough to attend their events. However, anything of real substance has been wiped from the web (which is not an easy task), making sure that only their carefully constructed story remains readily available for the casual researcher. However, that wasn’t enough for me. I dug deeper.

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While I will skip the boring parts of the research, my digging lead me to the Chinatown Branch of the Los Angeles Public Library, a location that is familiar to Alone devotees. It was here, hidden amongst the nondescript stacks of seemingly innocent books, that I came across a series of newspaper clippings among the periodicals in a file marked ALONE inc. Though it was misfiled, and took me some time to find it, it was worth searching for. What struck me was how close I once was to these clippings, and yet, had no clue of their existence. If not for a well-placed hint from an unknown source, I never would have returned to this location to find them.

The clippings I found were, unfortunately, incomplete. They seemed to have been torn out of whatever newspapers originally held them, as if someone hastily salvaged them from obliteration and hid them. All other traces of their existence were destroyed. Ever cautious, just in case someone comes for these, too, I made copies for my own personal files. They are also included within this article, so feel free to click on any of them to enlarge, and read for yourself.

As far as I can tell, the articles come from various newspapers all over the United States, with dates ranging from the late 1960s up to the early 1980s. However, the message from them is clear; ALONE inc. has been conducting studies and experimenting with human test subjects since the early 1900s.

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One article, which I surmised came from the 1970s, was written by Chris M. Tosis, and talks about how ALONE inc. was shut down by the government after they were found to have “widespread morally and ethically questionable practices” including prescribing LSD to their subjects. This same article goes on to say that they found countless medical journal reports produced by ALONE inc. from over the years, which included everything from lifesaving treatments to “curiosity-satisfying experiments.” It went on to explain that subjects were confused, damaged, and hurt by said experiments, but the rest of the article is torn out before going into greater detail.

Another article reported that citizens of Eugene, Oregon, were hearing strange radio signals that seemingly caused red skin, amid other health issues. Residents claimed said signals came from outer space. However, as the article goes on, it explains they actually came from an “inner space lab” in California operated by ALONE inc. Richard Smith, an official for ALONE inc. billed as assistant chief of the enforcement division of Human Development, basically claimed it as no big deal, and offered no other explanation. This report, though undated, I managed to pinpoint to being from 1978 from accompanying articles.

I've collected a body of research on ALONE inc.

I’ve collected a body of research on ALONE inc.

An additional article, from 1969, is written by a Charles Camerona and includes some of the confusing Alone-like manner of speaking they are known for today. Though the most complete of all the articles, it seems to go in circles, sprouting off a lot of new age-y mumbo jumbo about the human body, and praising the efforts of ALONE inc. for the work they are doing. One wonders is Mr. Camerona is actually an employee of ALONE inc., using the paper to further their agenda. A cursory search for more of Mr. Camerona’s work has come up blank.

The final, and most recent, of these articles is dated 1982, and details that ALONE inc. has been using human test subjects to find cures for illness for decades. While they have presented many of these findings to help others, the sheer question of ethics is at hand. A presidential bioethics commission met in Washington to discuss their work, but the result of said meeting is not known. Even a search of government records uncovered no such documentation of this meeting. However, in what is probably the most shocking revelation from this article, it is revealed ALONE inc. scientists were purposely infecting patients with syphilis…only to cure them again.

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This certainly raised a lot of red flags for me. While I have enjoyed their events over the last few years, what if Alone’s shows really are just a cover for something more sinister? In fact, this very question was brought to light in January 2015, when the Society for the Propagation of Functional Information infiltrated Alone’s ranks during the city-wide scavenger hunt, and warned many participants of the company’s shady dealings and inhumane practices, only to be quickly shut down. It was brushed off as being “all part of the experience” according to Alone officials, but I’m beginning to rethink that now.

I’m frantically re-tracing my steps, and going over every interaction with ALONE inc. that I can remember, trying to find more pieces of the puzzle. Since uncovering all this, I’ve become a bit obsessed, my research taking up more and more of my free time, and reaching its tendrils into other facets of my life. During last year’s Index of Diffusion, ALONE inc. claimed they had infiltrated our lives since day one, hiring people to act as friends, family, and even strangers, just so they could study our journey through life. What was once an effective tool for immersive theater now has me worried that it is the absolute truth. I question every interaction, every conversation I’ve recently had, wondering if it was real, or simply fabricated by the unseen forces of ALONE inc. What if my life, amongst others, really have been shaped and molded by this faceless entity, and I am being prepared for…something unknown? Is ALONE inc. hiding in plain sight, while being up front about their experimentations, but marking them as unique experiences so we do not suspect otherwise?

Remember…you are not a triangle. You are a human being.

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We at HorrorBuzz are NOT a journalist outfit, per say. While we do report on news and happenings of things that fall in the realm of horror and haunts, we are by no means a professional news organization. Further, I am not a news journalist. However, none of the news outlets I brought this information to wanted to touch it with a ten foot pole for some reason. But I felt I needed to get this out to the public in some way, so you know what is really going on. So you are prepared for the next step, whatever that may be.

Though hiding behind puzzles and artifacts since last October, ALONE inc. is returning at the end of the month with ACHELAND on February 29 and March 1. While details on this event are scant, they are requesting our bodily presence for further study.

While thoroughly scared by what I have uncovered, I am driven by my unquenchable thirst for the truth. I don’t know why, but I feel like we are getting closer and closer to what ALONE inc. actually wants from me, from us, from everyone.

Despite my findings, I will be attending ALONE inc. ACHELAND. My quest for the truth demands it. I urge you all too as well, to help me uncover what is really going on. Listen to what they say, partake in their experiments, but remember that the things they say may be nothing but lies.

Be careful…and beware of the triangles.

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About the Author

Jeff Heimbuch writes. A lot. On a variety of things and in different mediums. He also created the fiction podcasts LIGHT HOUSE and RETURN HOME (of which you can find both on all podcasting platforms), loves all things horror, works in social media, and is probably writing something right now. You can find him on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok at @jeffheimbuch.