The Video

While on post, a soldier begins to experience some weird phenomena.

You ever get that feeling someone or something is out there watching you? It’s a common everyday occurrence. A woman walking alone through the park feels the presence of a stalker waiting to abduct her. The conspiracy theorist compulsively checking every electronic in his house to make sure the government hasn’t wired anything. A little boy hiding under his bed sheets in fear of what monsters lie in his closet.  Most of the time it’s just paranoia bringing out the worst of our imaginations. But what if it wasn’t our minds overreacting. What if there was something REALLY out there lurking within the darkness. Something our minds couldn’t possibly comprehend. Something far more terrifying than any boogeyman or ghost story you hear at a campfire. What if that something was behind you right now?

 

 

 

0245 Wednesday

“Hey Jeremy!” faintly whispers Adam as he gently shakes my shoulders. “It’s Nathan’s and your turn for watch.”

I nod my head, motioning to him I understood. Getting out of my sleeping bag, I hurry to put on my uniform to shield myself from the breathtakingly cold wind. Although I have on two sets of sweat tops and bottoms, I can still fell the breeze cutting though. I walk over to make sure Nathan was ready. He was, so we made our way to our guard post, shivering and complaining the whole way.

 

“You know, we’ve been doing this s**t now for almost a whole damn year and it still hasn’t gotten any easier to wake up in this hell hole.” Nathan says.

“Could be worse. You hear what happened over at Camp Jamison?”

“Oh god. Not another one of your ghost story bullshit again.” he says as he puts a cigarette in his mouth and lights it.

“Come on dude. Where gonna be here all night. Might as well make it as entertaining as we can. Besides, we both know you love creepy s**t.”

He laughs and replies “Yeah but at least wait til we get to the post.”

I agree and we continue down the dirt road.

 

0300 Wednesday

We get to our post which is the furthest one from our sleeping area. It’s just a wooden shack with most of the paint peeled off and graffiti drawings of genital areas and curse words. Now generally a watch is posted to keep an eye out for potential threats from opposing countries but to be honest, no one ever really takes it seriously anymore. There are no threats, battles or wars going on so we mostly tell stories or look up videos on our phones.

 

“So tell the story about what happened at Jamison.”

“Okay, so there’s a rumor going around saying that two soldiers just vanished out of thin air while on their post about a month or two back. But that’s not it. Supposedly they weren’t the first ones. Guys have been disappearing left and right like crazy. Some say it was aliens, some say demons or ghosts or even witchcraft. The higher ups have just been reporting the missing soldiers as “UA” or “RETIRED” to keep order within the command. If you ask me, there’s something out there, waiting.”

Nathan lets out a big laugh. “That is the dumbest f*****g thing I’ve heard in my life. Where do you come up with this s**t?”

“It’s true! And I told you man, I’m trying to be a paranormal journalist when I get out so I look up everything I can to get ahead.”

“Where in the hell are you going to be a paranormal journalist?” he says to me in a mocking manner.

“Well it’s not a very popular occupation I’ll admit but the thrill of finding something out there that’s been hiding in the shadows for hundreds or even thousands of years, now that’s something worth doing I feel. I’m hoping to start off with a small channel on Youtube or something of that nature, and have videos on me doing my paranormal research.”

“Not going to lie, that sounds pretty cool. So show me some stories you’d be looking up.”

“Sure”

I pull off my glove with my mouth, my hands instantly feel the sting of the cold night air, and take out my phone. I scroll down to Youtube and type in “Scary ghost videos”. Much to my surprise, the app started to glitch, the screen pixelating over. It only lasted for a few moments until it came to the suggested videos section. The app must have not fully fixed itself because in the section was only one video but it was repeated down the screen. It had no current views and had just been uploaded within just a couple of minutes and all the title read was “Don’t Watch This Video”.

“What the hell?” Nathan and I both question.

“Has this happened before?” Nathan asks with a hint of concern in his voice.

“No. Never.” I reply.

I…I don’t know exactly what drew me to this video but I felt like it was made for my eyes only.

“You’re not going to watch it, are you?” Nathan asks more frightened now than before.

“Don’t be such a wuss. It’s just a video. What harm could it do?”

I press on the screen to play the video and it glitches once more until it begins. The video starts out in a green and black tint like that of night vision cameras and it looks as though its set up in a wooded area right before the forest breaks into a meadow. The way the camera is swaying seems almost unnatural. It’s not the usual shakiness of unsteady hands. No it seems as if the camera was in fact perfectly stable and that in was filmed the way we see things in first person, slowly moving forward. Inch by inch would be almost too dramatic of a description of how slow it moved. The only noises being made are the rustling of the wind, shuffling of leaves, snapping of some twigs and a very faint humming. It’s almost inaudible yet it sounds so familiar.

“This is stupid” says Nathan, “there isn’t anything even happening.”

“There’s more happening here than you know, Nathaniel.” I say for some reason unknown to me. Meanwhile Nathan just stands there, pale faced, looking at me with look of shock and horror.

In some trance-like state, I continue watching the video. For some reason, I want to, no, I NEED to watch this video.

By this point in time, whatever it is behind the camera has just broke the tree line and now a long open plain with two shadows silhouetting the shape of full grown men. They were too far away and small to try and figure out any other features. The humming grew louder the closer it got and if the humming wasn’t horrifying enough to make your skin crawl, then the noises that overpowered it would turn your stomach into knots. The best way to describe it is a low growling like that of a rabies infested dog mixed with the whimpering crying of a little girl. And amidst this choir of grotesque symphonies, a loud roar was emitted. Now call it coincidence, but as soon as the roar was made on the video, I swear to you, not even 500 meters from our post, there was a roar that sounded just like the one on the video.  To be honest, and I’ve never been one to be scared of anything, I was beginning to get frightened.

Nathan, scared beyond belief now, snatches my phone, turns off the video and with a furious tone yells, “Seriously, we should stop this now. Don’t go messing with forces you’re not prepared to face.”

 Immediately, I snap out of whatever it was that possessed me to watch. “You’re right. I’m sorry. I don’t know what got over me.”

For the rest of the watch, Nathan and I just stand there staring at each other, silent.

 

0032 Thursday

I wake up in my sleeping bag completely drenched in sweat and my heart racing. The nightmare I had was more terrifying than any I’ve ever experienced before. In it I was running through a forest shifting left and right, jumping over fallen decaying trees, swatting away and vines that seemed to purposely hinder our movement, it seemed like no matter how fast I was going,  I wasn’t making any progress. It was like I was stuck running in the same spot for hours. And I’m not quite sure why but in the dream, I kept glancing at my phone and screaming for Nathan. It was as if it held some secret, some clue of sorts to where he was but I couldn’t make out what was on the screen. Everything seemed out of focus in and around me. Anyway, I had been running for what seemed like an eternity now and then finally, I came across this old, abandoned cabin. No windows, the wood rotted beyond repair, and looked like at any moment it would crumble to the ground if a good wind blew. I looked down at my phone, still out of focus and carefully enter into the abyss. Once in, I remember hearing Nathan. He was crying and seemed to be begging for his life. I call out for him like I had in the forest but this time, my voice came out…hollow. It was like something was muting me and not allowing my words the hold full value in here. I screamed, or at least I attempted to but try as I might, nothing. I follow the sound of Nathan’s morbid pleas upstairs where it grew with intensity. As soon as my foot hit the first step, a humming began to consume the surrounding area. It sounded like…it sounded like a child. A little girl to be precise and she was humming a familiar old nursery rhyme: Mockingbird. I reached the top of the staircase. He was close. Everything was so dark though and my only source of light was my phone. I slowly creep my way toward the room that held him hostage. Opening the door, I quickly scan the room with my phone held in front like it was my shield to the evils of the purgatory. I saw him, or at least I thought it was him. In the corner curled up in a ball was a shadow of what could have been Nathan. I step closer saying his name, still muted, and suddenly….his head turns towards me, staring at me with huge glowing green eyes. I froze in fear, dropped my phone as this shadow leapt toward me growling a menacing growl. And that’s when I woke up. I’m not certain what it all means, or if it means anything really. All I do know is that it scared the living hell out of me. I lay there in the humidity of my sleeping bag trying to go back to sleep before Nathan and I had post again. I had to tell him about this dream. He is going to s**t bricks.

 

0245 Thursday

“Hey Jeremy,” says Adam shaking my leg, “have you seen Nathan?”

I lean up in one swift motion. “He’s not on his cot?” I say in a worried manner.

“No.” he replies.

I hurry out of my sleeping bag and put on my uniform in record breaking speed. Over where Nathan usually sleeps lays an empty cot. Frantic at this point, I run to check the outhouses. Maybe he’s just taking a s**t before post. I’m thinking that but deep down, I know something is horrible wrong. I get to the outhouses only to find out my assumptions had been true. He’s not in any of them. Where the hell did he go?

Not even a fraction of a second after that thought crossed my mind when I heard strange noises coming from my pocket. It was my phone. I pull it out to find that the screen is all pixelated.

“No, no, no, no.” I say in disbelief.

On my screen play the same video from last night. I swear on my life it was the same goddamn video except…it wasn’t the same video. It had the same title, same point of view, same everything. But this time it’s just a fixed image of a shadowy figure balled up in a corner crying. I stare in horror as my eyes try to reason with what they’re seeing. The video stays fixed on this figure for a few more moments before it pixelates and refreshes on a familiar face. A person I know all too well: me.

 

There’s no way. This can’t be possible. In the video stood a clear image of me standing right next to the out houses. I wave my hand back and forth to test it, to make sure I wasn’t imagining things. I wasn’t. I wish that I were but there is no denying it. I look forward to see if I can locate where the person or thing is that’s recording this but all that awaits in front of me is a huge deciduous forest. I look down to my phone to see what’s happening and it appears to be running away. It’s almost as if it wants me to…chase it. Adrenaline pumping and fear the last thing on my mind, I rush into forest without second thought. Not only did I need to find Nathan but I needed to find this thing. I was compelled to find it.

While in the forest, it might seem that I was wandering aimlessly, but it felt like I knew where I was going. Looking down only see if the view on it had changed, my phone acted as my source of light. Hopping over fallen trees, dodging ones still standing, I seem invincible. This goes on for a good while until…

“The house.” I say awestruck. Same wooden fixtures, same wear and tear. I can hardly believe what I’m seeing. I am almost hesitant to go any further but I keep moving. I enter the house and immediately yell for Nathan. Unlike the dream, I can hear fine. But just like in the dream, I hear him calling back.

“Jeremy. Help me. I’m scared” he says in a pathetic whimper.

Once again, I can tell he’s upstairs. As I start to go up, I’m expecting that familiar old nursery rhyme to start being hummed once I’ve placed my foot on the step. Silence. The only noise made was that of the step creaking just as old steps do. I’m not getting overconfident but already now there have been two differences between the dream and what is happening now. Maybe it was just a very strange, very coincidental accident and Nathan just so happen to have wandered a little too far in the woods and found this house. I continue all the way up to the top of the staircase.

“Nathan, where are you?” I say.

“I’m in here” he replies.

I follow the sound of the echo and trace it to this room here. I take a second to look the door and frame over for some reason.

Cindy’s Room

Huh. This must have been a little girl’s room at one point in time. I open the door phone in front to provide light and in the corner I see him. He’s still balled up.

“Nate stop playing around. I’m here so let’s leave.”

Nothing. I go to pick him up.

“Hey man, I’m serious. Let’s g…”

I barely finished the sentence when Nathan, no this wasn’t Nathan. The figure in front of me turns around. It stares at me with its big green eyes. I’m frozen stiff. I can’t seem to move a muscle like it has some kind of grip on me. Finally, the shadow takes the form of a woman. I try to close my eyes but she’s not allowing me. Oh my god, I can’t take it. Her flesh barely hanging on her body, it’s too gruesome for me to bare.

“Come. I’ve been waiting” she says as her mouth widens and she lets out a painful shriek.

“Noooooooo!!!!”

 

 

1630 Monday

“Hey Tim! Come check this out!” Andrew shouts.

“What? What is it?” Tim replies.

“It’s a phone. Huh. I wonder what it’s doing out all the way out here. Hey look. Seems like someone was recording a video when they lost it.” Andrew says.

He presses play. The video was grainy and pixelated at some parts. All that you could see was a man balled up in a corner and whoever it was beside him wasn’t being picked up by the camera but she sat beside him all the singing a familiar tune.

“Hush little baby don’t say a word. Momma’s gonna  buy you a mockingbird.” 

Author's Note

It may not make complete sense because I'm going to try to prolong the story

Reviews

[freaky]

Dude the story is creepy awesome. I totally love it even if I won't sleep this night