A haunted Friday night

I was just watching TV at night, Big Bang Theory, like I always do on Fridays. Pizza, a nice drink, a warm couch, all I need.

Suddenly, I heard the three EAS beeps, which I didn’t find terrifying anymore. I live in Tornado Alley, so I always get notified when a storm is coming up. But this time it wasn’t a usual NOAA Weather Alert. The voice sounded somewhat different.

The TV screen was flickering as the lights went dim. I was scared. Home all alone. The voice started to mumble, after which it said: “DO NOT GO OUTSIDE. DO NOT CALL ANYBODY OR MAKE ANY NOTIFICATION. CLOSE ALL DOORS. DEATH MAY BE INEVITABLE.

I was shocked. I had never heard this before. So as the message advised, I closed all windows, doors and even ventilation grills.The EAS repeated. This time the lights turned off, so I couldn’t see what was happening. My computer turned on. The EAS started talking garbled language again.

My computer logged in automatically, making a new username: “Subject-10297433”.The number “10297433” was a number familiar to me, as it was my passport number.Suddenly a lullaby started to play from my computer. “Twinkle Twinkle little star, how I wonder what you are...” A video was playing along with it. I looked away. It was disgusting. Both the music and the video suddenly stopped.

The computer started displaying distorted images of people I knew. I was notified by a text message on my phone.“Who’s next?” it said. It was from a number in a weird format I did not know.

I slowly advanced myself towards the computer trying to shut it off. But the lullaby started playing again, this time corrupted.I was scared.I wanted to call my friends and family, but the warning stated that I shouldn’t do it. I called my friend anyway. I heard a short scream. Then “The number you are trying to reach is no longer in service.” The call ended. I got another text message. “Good. Good... Thanks.” The front door opened. It creaked like usual, but to me it sounded like hell itself.

The floorboards started to creak. I saw a brief shadow from the moonlight sliding across the walls and floor. I hadn’t seen the moonlight earlier because I had to close the windows.

Am I hallucinating? I heard the floorboard creaking even louder, as if the shadow was approaching. I ran away from the approaching sounds and bumped into something. It felt warm and comfortable, yet it wasn’t. It was a moving creature, but not a human. I ran through my home, jumped and burst through a window as I sought for shelter.

It was dark out and the street lights didn’t turn on. I saw a man at the end of the street. He started walking at a fast pace, right towards me. I started running. Away from my seemingly haunted home. I crossed the road and ran into the forest next to it.

I ran until the man couldn’t see me anymore.Then, after coming to a stop, my phone got another message, that same unusual number: “You fool.” another came quickly after: “you are such a fool”. I realised my mistake. My phone was still with me! I quickly began destroying it and ran away, after destroying every other electronic device I had with me. I hid in some bushes. I was breathing heavily.

The next thing remember, was that I woke up in an abandoned hospital. Empty. The tiles were grimy and the lights were off. I must have been abducted.I felt a sting in my arm. I was on a drip. The bag was filled with a clear fluid. Hazard signs were clearly visible on it.I tried to get up, but I was too weak. The fluid probably paralysed me. I was there all alone. I could do nothing but look at the room, as I could only move my head.

A phone rang and switched to voicemail, because no one was there to answer it. A low voice said: “Thanks for your help. You’re useless now.”

I tried to get out of the bed again and I fought as hard as I could, of course to no result.I noticed a strange gas was starting to fill the room. I felt nauseous and suffered from a short breath. I held my little bit of fresh air in my lungs and pulled the needle out with my mouth.I passed out.When I woke up again, I could move my muscles, although I wasn’t in great shape. I got out of bed and walked out of the room. The same man from the street was in the hospital, staring at me. He held a knife and started running after me again. One piece of floor was loose so he fell over. Instead of running away, I decided to approach him. I got the knife, thus the power over him, so I put him onto the same drip and ran away. His last words to me were: “He is here.”

I got out of the hospital and found a bus stop. I waited for a bus, but as I had no money I had to ride along, holding on the back of the bus.

As I got home in the morning, everything seemed normal, yet strange, because there was no sign of a broken window I had burst through and my computer was behaving just fine.

When the newspaper fell on the doormat I read the main article: 50 people missing. I was shocked and thought I would be on the list. It wasn’t me. But I am guilty for someone that was on there.

One of them was my friend, the one I called in that damned haunted night.