The Tape: Chapter One

         Have you ever wondered where the space between the picture of your television and another is? I know that all of the images playing out of your television come from some tall tower that transmits signals from a studio and are mixed and jumbled into space all to come back together into televisions all over the globe. But the thing is, what about in between? There is a lot of space for things to go wrong, a lot of space to get trapped. And even vengeful.


         It was a dark night, like any other. But too dark so see the dark clouds looming over head. Charlie couldn’t sleep. He was so close he could taste it, it was a bitter taste. Those things. He looked at the black tape on the table just sitting there among the mass of paper. He took another sip of coffee even while his hands still shook from nervousness and lack of rest. There was too much to do.
         He scrambled through more paper relentlessly. For days this is was his life, his only life. But there was so much. So many pieces. How do they all connect?! He had played it countless times, it was never the same. The clues were every where, leading up to something, but not nothing!
         He rummaged through more paper. Frustration was whelmed inside him. And none of it made any sense. Random pictures and things flew around in his head broke his train of thought. Enough to make any one go insane. The thought found him. Maybe you are mad. But it wasn’t like him. Just end it now before… He chased the thought from his mind. But it was still there. Lingering.
         He looked at his digital watch. Six fifteen. No time. He had to work faster. Before she came.
         Tick tock.
         Time no time.
         Tick tock. The noise was louder. A clock! He had missed one. He scuttled up the stairs. Where is it?! High and low Charlie looked ripping apart room after room.
         Tick tock.
         Charlie couldn’t find the source of his madness.
         It stopped. Good.
         Charlie returned to the living room.
         The papers were gone. Everything was as it had been before. A swell of quiet terror took him as the television turned on. Time seemed to stop. The door bell rang for the last time. To scared to run. To scared to scream. The door opened…


         “The Ring.” She said out loud. “Nice movie.”
         “Nice movie?! Just a nice movie?! That was an awesome movie!” Her date said, Jacob Talbot.
         “There were…um some things.” Kayla said. The two stepped out of the theater. “But it was pretty cool how she crawled out of the TV. Now that was wicked.”
         “So why was it just ‘nice’?” Jacob said making quotation marks with his fingers.
         “There were some…um inaccuracies.” Kayla said.
         “What inaccuracies? It was just a movie.”
         “But it was like saying that witches don’t really cast spells of something like that.” She said. “Like, why didn’t she kill the mother and the boy? Why did she spare them? Just to make a copy and show it to someone isn’t enough to be spared. There is nothing worse than that of the judgment and punishment of a child. She would have spared no one.”
         “What did you read a book on how to make a death tape and kill people when you died or something.” Jacob said.
         “No, but… never mind” She gave up on trying to explain it to him. He wasn’t the brightest boy in class. At least he got the gist of the movie.
         “Imagine have to keep a secret like that for years, like that girls dad. I must have been a killer, well…” He tried to rephrase is statement.
         “Everyone has secrets. I could tell you if someone every found out my secret I would totally kill them.”
         “Even me?”
         She laughed as she bent over and bushed her hair in front of her face. “Oooh.” She wiggled her fingers in front of her self pointed at Jacob, a universal sign of attempted creepiness.
         “Yeah right, and you would pop out of the TV too.”
         She laughed again as flipped her hair back to its inadvertent perfection.
         Jacob crept close to her and whispered into her ear. “You know I hear that there is a tape here. Right in this city. Pretty cool, huh?”
         She froze. “Who told you?”
         “What? About the tape. Dunno rumors. At school maybe. I tend to forget sometimes.”
         “Oh. For a sec I thought you saw the tape.” Kayla said.
         “Do you want to see it?” Jacob asked with a mischievous smirk.
         “What?! How?” She looked she paled wide eyed for a moments. She shook off the emotion.
         “One of my friend’s older cousin died like last week. And at his house was a tape. Probably the tape. Todd said he’s going to get it.” He said.
         “Oh come on. Do you really believe that?” She said. “So are you going over to Todd’s house to watch it?”
         “I don’t know.” Jacob said.
         “Please don’t he’s just a jackass.” They started to walk back to Jacob’s home. “Anyway, if it was the real tape. I know a guy in the asylum that went crazy because of it.” She with a sly smile.
         “Why aren’t I walking you home?” Jacob asked.
         “My dad. He thinks I’m at bible study right now. Let alone to go see a horror movie.”
         “Yeah, that movie was freaky in spite of what you think. It’s going to be hard to sleep tonight.”
         “Problem with bad dreams, huh?” Kayla seemed to be amused at that. “I used to have a problem with sleep. I hate insomnia.”
         “After that movie I will.”
         “You know some dreams are just warning of the future.” She gave a mischievous smirk. “So if you dream if you dream good thoughts, something good might happen to you tomorrow.”
         “I thought you were a good little angel.” Return with his own playful grin.
         “Just you wait.” They stopped at Jacob’s house.
         “My ‘rents aren’t home, you can come in.” Jacob suggested.
         “No, I have to get home.” Kayla said. “But I can leave you with this.” She kissed him before leaving.
         “I’ll call you!” He yelled after her. “That will certainly give me good dreams.” Jacob went inside.
         "That's what they all say." She said before disappearing into the darkness.
         Jacob sat at home for awhile before the phone rang. He jumped in his chair. The phone rang again. And again. The answering machine came on.
         “Hey man, where are you?!” Said a voice over the machine. “You’re missin’ this grea-”
         “Yeah, I’m here Todd.” Jacob gave a sigh of relief. “What do ya want?”
         “Your sista.” Todd foully replied.
         “Shut up. What to you really want?” Jacob continued.
         “The guys are crashin’ over at my place. Kevin brought a six pack and all that we’re missin’, is you. So get your ass over here.” Todd said.
         “Aye, aye captain’.” And he was off.


         The sound of beer can cracking and the mind demolishing sounds of heavy metal emanated from the house.
         “Hey Todd, where are you ‘rents?” Kevin said as he sank in the lazyboy with another can of beer.
         “They went to a party of somethin’.” Todd replied. “Jay, weren’t you on a date? How did that go?”
         “With Kayla? It was great up. We saw The Ring. Now that was freaky. I could tell it spooked her a bit. But she pretended to be all tough about it. I need to talk to her tomorrow. I really like her.”
         “I haven’t seen her yet what’s she like?” Kevin asked.
         Todd answered for him. “Mucho, mucho caliente.”
         Jacob continued. “Dark hair, dark eyes, cute little nose, great smile, especially when she’s thinkin’ up something, smooth skin, doesn’t tan that’s for sure and a little generous in some areas if you know what I mean. She seemed a little spooked after the movie when I mentioned the tape. I wouldn’t blame her. The movie gave me the heebie-jeebies too.”
         “Speak of the devil.” He sat up and when to the cabinet on pulled out an unlabeled tape. “And now for the main event.”
         “Hey man, what’s that?” Jacob spoke up.
         “You know that tape that some guys are talkin’ about?” Todd waved the tape in the air, taunting.
         “You should stop it.” Victor said. “I don’t think it’s such a good idea any more.”
         “Oh come on. Don’t you what any fun?”
         “My parents are going to find out that I took that from my cousin’s house. I have a bad feeling about it.” Victor said timidly.
         “Well he ain’t goin’ to miss it much well is he.” Todd proceeded to put the tape in the VCR. Jacob intervened.
         “I don’t think that this is such a good idea either, Todd.” Jacob said. “I mean, you don’t know what it is and it could just be a blank tape.”
         “Then what does it matter, bro.” Todd popped in the tape. The television came on with static.
         “See you guys, nothin’ but static. A blank…” The screen cleared up to show a clock. “tape.” The queasiness in his stomach twisted and turned.
         Todd saw Jacob’s reluctance to look at the screen. “Aww come on . Don’t be a wuss. Don’t chicken out on us now.”
         The clock face still showed. Tick tock. Tick tock. The sound seemed to get louder. Reflections played in the clock. So hard to make out. They could feel themselves being lured closer and closer to make them out. Black hair in the corner. Under the sounds of the gears and the hands of the clock, there were other things. Humming. Bells.
         The clock stopped on the blank face. Spider web cracks crawled over the clock face. Bleeding. The cracks separated father and father apart. Or they drew closer and closer. Into the crack. The humming was louder. No, the whining is louder. But who is? Where is that rickety rabbit? Waiting in the rabbit hole. Waiting for Alice. Mommy doesn’t like Alice or her friends. But you do, you will. Love them forever. Deeper. Think and see for the eyes are everywhere. Look…


         “What the fuck was that!?” Everyone in the room was paled. “Tell me Todd! What is that, some sick joke?!” The tension of violence was thick. Kevin continued to yell. Jacob tried to calm things down.
         “I swear man. I didn’t know nuthin’ about this. I thought it was a fake.” Todd whimpered as he was strung up by his collar with Kevin’s fist in his face. “I swear man. I swear.” Todd held up his hands as a passive gesture.
         “Funk you.” Kevin dropped Todd on the floor with some old pizza boxes. “I need a friggin’ smoke.” He started to feel around his pockets.
         Victor was still the same curled up position he was in ever since the tape ended. Staring at the blank wall. Muttering something under his breath.
         The phone rang. Everyone froze. It rang again. “Well aren’t you going to get it, Jac?” Kevin asked.
         “Why me?!” Jacob whispered.
         “You’re the one next to the phone.” Kevin said.
         Carefully he picked it up. “Hello?” He looked up at Todd and held the receiver toward him. “It’s for you.”
         “Yeah? No mom. I only have Jacob over. No mom, no party.” They listened to half a conversation, before they took the hint that they had to clear out and leave.
         “Wait!” Todd called after Victor.
         “What?” He sounded shaken and anxious to get home.
         “The tape.”
         “Keep it.” He turned to leave.
         “No!” Todd caught him by the jacket. “I’m not keeping that thing. What if my mom sees it?”
         “That’s your problem now. Think of it as a gift.” Victor jerked his jacket out of Todd’s hand. “Yeah, don’t be a wuss.” Victor left. They all left.
         That night they had no dreams, but nightmares.