Gloomy TV Syndrome

It was Saturday, and I had nothing better to do. So I decided to go look for some bargains at a few local garage sales. It was cloudy out, the kind of cloudy that makes you feel sort of sad inside. As for the weather, cold and damp. After an hour of driving around and getting a few good deals on some old games and some of my favorite movies like 1408 and The Shining, I decided to call it quits for the day and headed home.

As I was about to turn onto my street, I noticed a small garage sale. Nothing much, just a few books and some old china, but one thing stuck out to me; a television. It wasn't much, just an old Toshiba, but something about it drew me towards it. Driving towards the house I kept thinking to myself; Why don't I just head home and spare myself a chance of getting caught in some rain? Reaching the house, I decided that I might as well take a look at it. I mean, what harm is there in just looking?

I parked my car and got out, when I did I noticed what was on the tables. There were just some old books and a few porcelain figurines. All of which were on one of the plastic folding tables. I walked up to the TV, almost tripping over a brick that was sticking out, and cursing a bit. When I saw that there was no price tag, I took a look around and I saw an old man sitting in a chair, drinking coffee. I walked up to him and asked him how much he wanted for the TV. His response was, "If you can take it you can have it."

I was surprised by the fact that he was just giving it away, but I was happy that I was getting a free TV and just shrugged it off. After a long struggle to get a cold grip on the giant piece of plastic and wires, I finally got it over to my car. As I was putting the TV in the car, a piece of plastic was sticking out and I cut my finger. When I saw the blood start dripping from my finger, I started looking through the glove box to maybe find a piece of paper, or better yet, a band-aid. After rummaging through some old pill bottles and loose change, I found a napkin to wrap around my wound.

When I got home, I started hooking up my DVD player to it. I never was good with this kind of stuff. Whenever my dad would get a new TV or VCR, he would always ask me to help him. Of course this would end in my getting entangled by a bunch of grey wires, and him cutting them off. After I hooked everything up and turned on the TV, I noticed something peculiar; the colour was a tad off. It looked as if the red was missing from it entirely. I just decided maybe this could be fun. I put in the first movie I had bought for a good bargain of a dollar, and considering the weather it would be fun to have a good scare. So I put in 1408, sat back, and relaxed.

After watching Samuel Jackson tell off John Cusack, I decided to put on The Shining. Putting in the DVD, I realized the colour was still only green and blue, so I started messing around with the settings but nothing seemed to work. I then thought maybe it was a bad disc, so I put in a different one. Nothing changed. I was about to call Toshiba and ask for help, but I realized it was already 11:00PM and they were closed. Since I had to get up early in the morning, get to work early, and finish up last days work, and so I decided to worry about it tomorrow and try to get some sleep. When I got into bed, I felt weird. I had that kind of feeling you get when you're so tired, but you can't sleep. After a few sleeping pills and some nice calm music, I finally drifted off to dream land. I dreamed I was inside a strange building. It wasn't scary but, it was a bit depressing. Everything was green and blue. The building looked like a rundown old hospital, or a psychiatric ward. I was alone except for a man. I couldn't see any features other than that he looked masculine and wore all black. I beckoned to him 'Hello,' he didn't respond other then his head swiftly turning to me, then running off. I tried to run after him but as soon as I started running, I was awoken by my alarm. I felt drowsy, a little more then usual. Like fatigued but worse.

I said to myself, 'Some coffee will fix that right up,' so I went downstairs to go make some. Heading down the stairs, I could of sworn I kept hearing whispering. It was the kind of whispering that someone does right next to your ear. The kind that irritates you and kinda makes your head hurt a bit. Reaching the kitchen, I turned on the coffee and went to get the newspaper. Opening the front door, I felt a huge gust of cold, icy, autumn wind brush against my face. I saw my air turn to fog each breath I took. Returning back inside and drinking my coffee the headache I had earlier had gone away. After I finished my coffee, I headed to work. It was a long drive, some idiot walked right out in front of me then said to watch where I was going. Other than that and a homeless person yelling at me, it was a okay drive. By the time I got into work, I was already ten minutes late, Considering I had to get in early to finish something I didn't last time I decided it was in my best interest not to get noticed, so I sneaked by as discreetly as possible. As I sat down at my desk, I noticed my monitor looked a bit off.

It had the same greenish tint as the new TV I obtained yesterday. The other thing that stuck out to me is it was left on. I always turn off my monitor, so it was a bit off for it to be on. I then realized that my boss must of checked to see if I had finished my work. Right after finishing that though, the phone rang. I knew it was the boss about to give me shit for not finishing my work. When I answered the phone I was 'greeted' by a loud static noise. I quickly brought the phone away from my ear in hopes not to be completely deafened. When I heard the static stop after about 30 seconds, I put it back to my face. I said 'hello' in an almost questioning voice. After that I heard a 'click' and thought that they hung up. Putting the phone down, about to hang up, I heard a faint noise. It sounded like a cat hissing or something. I just assumed it was more static or something and hung up.

Now, focusing back on my monitor and remembering that the colour looked wonky, I shrugged it off knowing it was a twelve-year-old monitor and would have some problems here and there. The rest of the day was fine other than a bug that kept annoying me. And a few calls from angry investors who lost money. That was normal, because when you work in a call center you get calls like that. But, all in all, it was a fairly normal and sub-shitty day. Walking into my car I noticed the frost on the door handle. I grasped it hard and tugged. After a few tugs, it opened with a big crunch sound and the ice shattering. Almost nearing my street, I started feeling warm inside. I was looking forward to being able to just relax and enjoy the rest of the evening. Walking into my home, I suddenly felt a chill. This time coming from the inside. I went to the thermostat everything looked normal, but I decided to turn it up.

I was about to sit down and watch TV when I remembered it was broken. I went searching for a phone when I noticed my window was open. It too was a bit frozen so it took a few pulls for it to finally go down with a loud squeak. I noticed a phone on my bed and picked it up. I called Toshiba to hopefully figure out what the problem was and how to fix it. I dialed the number and after 15 minutes of some light classical music and a few 'your call is important to us' auto messages, a man answered the phone. He sounded young, maybe early 20s. I explained to him what was happening with the TV, he said to call a technician and have him take a look at it.

After 25 minutes of light rock music another man answered the phone. This time the man sounded old, maybe late 50s. I explained again what was going on with my TV, and the man said that someone would be over shortly. After thirty minutes of waiting and tapping my feet to some AC DC, I heard the doorbell ring. When I answered it, to my surprise, the man they sent to fix the TV was the same man who had given it to me a few days earlier. He looked happier this time. He had a brown jacket on and some old slacks. He also had a funny scarf that was red and blue stripes. He walked into my house and took off his loafers only to reveal even sillier socks. They were pink and polka dotted.

"Having trouble with the TV already, are we now?," he said in a joking manner. He asked me what was wrong with it, and when I explained to him what the problem was, with it being just green and blue. He said that the red picture tube was probably missing. He said that he would take a look just in case it wasn't that. When he opened the panel in the back and stuck his finger in he jumped back with his finger in his mouth and flicking it. Obviously he had gotten shocked. I asked if he was okay and he just said 'Yeah, I'm fine, just forgot about the 1000 volts.' He laughed it off and continued working. After he stumbled across a note. He read it out loud.

I was happy. Me, my wife, and we had an 11 year old girl. That is, until we got a new TV. It was great at first but... then things started getting strange. First, I started feeling abnormally fatigued, then came the nightmares. Afterwards, I started feeling physically ill. I was vomiting non-stop and I kept getting excruciating headaches. Now I can't sleep, I can't eat, I can't even think! But I know it's coming, and I know that it won't stop until it does. Tonight is the night he takes me. He visited me once before. He said his name was Ellet, and that he would be back soon. And here he is. Goodbye.

Right as he finished reading the last word, I heard a sudden thud from upstairs. I rushed up the stairs to investigate what the thud was and with every step I took, the stairs shook like an earthquake. When I reached the top I started looking around, hoping to find the source of the noise. There was no trace of anything of anything falling, nothing except a few miscellaneous items on the floor, including a few DVD's. The only thing I found was the window was open. Going up to the window, I felt a sudden rush of cool autumn air. I logically assured myself that I had left it open when I had woken up, even though I remember closing it. Then again, I was pretty tired. Walking back down the stairs, the old man said that nothing seems to be wrong with the TV and that it was probably just old. With that he went on his way.

Looking at the time, I noticed it was already 11:30PM, and since I wanted to get up early tomorrow and enjoy the day. They called for sun and a temp of 20 Celsius. Since I work Sunday through Friday, I was glad I booked tomorrow off and could finally sleep in. I went to the washroom, took some sleeping pills and put in my ear buds. When I finally fell asleep, I dreamed I was in a cabin. It was old and worn down. The interior was brown and dark. There was a small amount of light dangling from the roof. It provided just enough light to see. As I scanned the room, I noticed I wasn't alone. Not even five feet away, stood a man about 6'2. He looked like the one in my dream from last night.

He wore a black sweater and blackish-blue jeans. The jeans were old and worn down. His hood covered his face, but it looked as if he wore a mask: It was white and expressionless. Moving my eyes to his hands, I noticed he had something in his hands.

<p style="color:rgb(212,212,213);">Rubbing my eyes, I noticed what it was. It was a large kitchen knife. This time, instead of feeling safe, I felt scared. He then started removing his mask. What I saw was what looked like a shadow. His eyes were glowing red. I now noticed that he had sort of hair. It was long. He looked almost like a giant Bigfoot, except instead of brown fur, it was black, and was skinny. When he raised the knife, I noticed his hands were giant talons at least 3 inches long. As he drew his knife to my throat, I started sweating profoundly. I was almost certain he was going to kill me.

<p style="color:rgb(212,212,213);">I tried to run but I couldn't even move. I felt as if my legs were cement, and then I realized I couldn't even talk.

<p style="color:rgb(212,212,213);">It felt like an eternity when suddenly, the light bulbs began flickering, then exploded. As soon as it did, I woke up. I was sweating. My clothes were drenched in sweat. I felt like I had been stranded in the desert for five days with no water. When I got up to go get some water, I noticed the same creature I had seen in my dream. I tried to scream for help, but it hurt to breathe. I couldn't even swallow my own saliva, my throat was so dry. When he rushed at me, my heart skipped a beat and I closed my eyes in attempts to not see what he would do. When I opened them all I saw was what looked like black smoke. My eyes darted over to the hallway when I saw something moving quickly across the stairs. I ran out of my room, only to be face to face with the hideous creature.

<p style="color:rgb(212,212,213);">He then grabbed me by my neck and threw me with incredible strength. I hit the wall, leaving a dent. I looked back to see it running at me. He lunged at me, only to become the black smoke I had seen before. The smoke, now stinging my eyes, seemed to become a sort of crystal ball image. It was of me, only younger. I was about seven years old. It was summer, me and my sister were playing soccer. I started grinning when I saw myself score the winning goal. My smile quickly faded when I saw the same creature. He was just standing by a tree. Watching. Suddenly, the smoke dissipated and I was now sitting against the wall. I then worked my way over to the washroom, where I violently started vomiting. The vomit was black and tasted like burning rubber. When I finally stopped, I made my way over to the sink to wash my face.

<p style="color:rgb(212,212,213);">I felt like I had just been punched in the stomach thirty times by a prize fighter. After I had finished washing my face of vomit and black substances, I decided to try and get some sleep.

<p style="color:rgb(212,212,213);">As I walked out of the washroom, I noticed something out of the corner of my eye. I quickly glanced over to see what it was, when suddenly, I felt a massive blow to my face, as if a pugilist had just delivered a devastating haymaker to my head.

<p style="color:rgb(212,212,213);">I fell to the ground, dazed, but got it together quickly and sat up, only to see the very same creature leering at me from outside of my window. He then took his knife and started scratching it against the glass.

<p style="color:rgb(212,212,213);">I ran as fast as I could to the kitchen and grabbed the biggest knife I could find.

<p style="color:rgb(212,212,213);">After two hours of waiting, I then ran up into my bed, shut the door, and put in my earbuds hoping nothing would happen.

<p style="color:rgb(212,212,213);">I slept very soundly for most of the night, Other than a few times of waking up sweaty and dehydrated, it was pretty normal. I dreamed I was in the same hospital as before. This time the man was not there. Instead there was only a noise. Like static. The static suddenly turned into a loud beeping noise. I woke up to my alarm blaring, I felt even groggier than the morning before. I got up to go take a shower, my feet felt like someone had just jumped on them and twisted their foot. Walking into the bathroom about to brush my teeth, I remembered I had vomited on my regular toothbrush, and so I had to use the spare brush I kept inside the mirror that I have for when guests are over.

<p style="color:rgb(212,212,213);">I got the toothbrush out along with some toothpaste, when I closed the cabinet, I saw the creature in the hoodie behind me. I dropped the toothbrush and turned around as quickly as I could, straining my neck, only to see no one was there.

<p style="color:rgb(212,212,213);">I sighed with relief and laughed a little bit.

<p style="color:rgb(212,212,213);">When I turned back to the mirror, I saw the same man. This time, his knife was to my throat. I darted out of the bathroom running for the door.

<p style="color:rgb(212,212,213);">I could feel his cold icy breath on the back of my neck as I ran to my car, hoping to get away. I opened the door and got in. The car's engine must of been cold and I had to rev the engine 4 times before it started. It felt like an eternity. Driving to work, everything looked almost ‘trippy.’ My eyes kept closing in failed attempts to sleep.

<p style="color:rgb(212,212,213);">Finally, after a long drive to work, I assured myself that I was safe and it was probably just me being paranoid. After another boring and shitty day of work, I headed home.

<p style="color:rgb(212,212,213);">On the drive home, I kept thinking I was seeing the creature in the hoodie. After two more weeks of horrible sleep, I decided to go see a doctor to get this all figured out. On the drive to the hospital I nearly fell asleep. Opening the door, I stopped myself suddenly noticing what looked like blood on the doorknob.

<p style="color:rgb(212,212,213);">I took a closer look and as I did, I heard a loud noise behind me. I nearly jumped out of my skin when I heard it. When I turned around, I saw a motorcycle revving its engine, the man on the bike gave me a dirty smile, 3 of his teeth missing. I said a silent ‘fuck you’ and went on my way. When I turned back, the blood on the doorknob was gone. I figured it must of just been my imagination as it had been playing tricks on me the past month. The long waits gave me some time to get some shut eye. Reaching the last room, I sat in it for a good thirty five minutes. When they finally called my name, I was seated in a room. It was white with a few posters about how the brain works and a few old magazines. When the doctor came in, he asked me about what I've been feeling and how I was sleeping.

<p style="color:rgb(212,212,213);">After about 20 minutes he said that I should get CAT scan. Luckily, he said he could do it there so I wouldn't have to drive across town and back. After another half hour of reading Time magazine, he came back with the results with a puzzled look on his face. He said "I can't believe it!" I asked him what he meant and he replied with "Well, you show all the symptoms of a person with schizophrenia, but your CAT scan shows otherwise." He then said in a now even more curious tone, "It looks as if you have a sort of sickness." He then started speaking in a rather depressing tone. He said, "I have seen only one other man with a case like this. He was a father figure. A little girl and a wife. He had the same symptoms you have. Say have you recently purchased a television that looks depressing?

<p style="color:rgb(212,212,213);">Right after he finished talking I felt sick to stomach. It was that feeling you get when your parents say that they're not mad just disappointed. I asked him if he knew anyway for me to maybe get some sleep and not fear for my life. He said that there was no way to help me. He said that he didn't know enough about it to prescribe anything. After leaving the hospital I felt depressed knowing that there was no way for me to do anything.

<p style="color:rgb(212,212,213);">For the next ten days, I felt like I hadn't slept in a year. I kept seeing him everywhere I went. Soon, after I stopped going to work. Then I stopped eating. I finally got 2 hours of decent sleep. Afterwards I came to my senses and decided to go tell my boss what's been going on. Of course he just yelled at me at fired my ass. On my drive home, I remembered that the TV repairman said that he might of figured out something to help with the TV. Reaching my house, I noticed all the lights were on. Walking inside, I heard a loud static noise. Then I heard that hissing noise I heard on the phone a few weeks ago. Looking over to my living room, I saw the same smoke from before. I tried running out of the house but the door was frozen shut. I heard another hiss noise and I jerked my head towards the source of the noise. To my surprise what I saw was the TV, now turned on I walked up to it.

<p style="color:rgb(212,212,213);">What I saw was the hospital from my dream. In the hospital stood the creature. I then noticed it was a surveillance recording. It had a time and date. It also had words on it. They said 'Ellet.' Suddenly, the creature started moving in my direction. It's motions were as if it were walking, but it was moving so fast. Within a matter of seconds, it was right against the camera. It then took of it's mask and said in a dark raspy voice, 'Smile.' It then smiled, revealing two sets of giant spiked teeth. It's smile was insidious. It then moved out of the TV, and into my living room. Now staring down at me, it raised it's knife, as it jolted down I jumped out of the way. It's hand smacked me and threw me against the wall. I started to run away, but my legs were like they were made of jelly. Reaching the front door, I felt Ellet grab my shoulder and throw me against my kitchen sink. Now groaning in pain, I sat up. I was face to face with Ellet. His breath smelt like static off of a TV and some sort of putrid scent I can't even begin to describe. He then picked me up and started dragging me towards the living room. He started walking into the TV when I saw his knife on the table. I grabbed it, and as hard as I could I lunged my arms into his back. He dropped me, blood dripping from the wound.

<p style="color:rgb(212,212,213);">I didn't think twice, I just ran as fast as I could. I ran out the door and into the streets, the moon shining down on me. I started running towards the nearest police station, my feet slapping against the pavement with each step I took. When I finally reached the station, I explained my story. The police drove me over to my house and said that they would go in with me. When we got to the door, it was unhinged slightly and there was blood in it. The whole place trashed, everything was there expect one thing. The TV was missing. The police then searched the house, and after they returned, they said they found something in the basement. Following them down, I saw a pile of trash.

<p style="color:rgb(212,212,213);">As they searched the pile, the officer searching suddenly jumped back with a disgusted look on his face. He said to the officer beside me 'Cuff him now!' I then stared in awe as to what he saw. In the pile were several discarded body parts. When they brought me to the station and explain my entire story, they said that it was okay to go home. After an escort home I realized there was a trail from the blood on the door. It led out to the streets it went all the way to the station and back. When I got to the end of the trail, I saw what looked like words. The bloody words spelled out only one word... Smile.