A feeling of being watched crept it’s way down her spine and she turned off her flashlight, suddenly feeling vulnerable and exposed. The static was still hissing and as the light from her phone died she was shocked to find that the trees in front of her were still illuminated with a flickering light. A fresh shot of icy fear shot straight into her heart and she slowly turned around to look behind her.
Sitting in a low tree branch, about eye level with her, was a small, flatscreen television. Snowy static filled the screen, casting dancing shadows around it. The thunderous static hissed from its speakers. Samantha blinked hard, trying to wrap her head around what she was seeing. Suddenly the entire world felt wrong. The air smelled of electrical discharge, and the hairs on her arms stood on end.
The television’s volume increased to almost deafening levels and the snow began to fade, giving way to a picture. Patrick was sitting up against the trunk of a large tree, the bear trap still over his face. She could see his chest rise and fall sporadically, and wet, gurgling sounds emanated from beneath the trap.
A figure appeared to the right of the screen. At first it looked like nothing more than snowy static, but quickly took on a humanoid shape. It moved like a man, but it was completely made of static.
The static man moved quickly and silently in front of Patrick, obscuring her view of him except for his legs. There was a fast flurry of unnatural motion, and Patrick’s legs began to writhe in agony. The figure moved to the side, she could see that the trap had been removed from Patrick’s face. His eyes fluttered as the thing reached a luminous arm out and put it’s hand to his face. His eyes suddenly opened wide.
Patrick let out an agonised scream. The creature joined in with its unearthly howl, both of which could be heard through the television and in the distance.
Samantha stood with her hands clasped tightly over her mouth, tears leaving small, clean trails on her dirty face and hands. The lightning flashed and the television switched off, leaving her standing in the darkness. Her legs shook as her rapid breath came out in rasps. The pit in her stomach shifted, and her jaws clenched. She fell to her knees and vomited so hard that she felt as though her back may break.
Out of the corner of her eye she saw another flicker. The static man was standing next to several large pine trees, silent and still. Though it had no face, or distinguishing features, she could tell that it was staring at her.
She pushed herself up on shaking arms, forcing herself to stand. The static remained motionless. Samantha began to back slowly away from the thing, and after about three steps it shot itself straight up into the air, creating a flash of lightning and a clap of thunder. Samantha stood and looked upwards for any sign of the being, but found only stars.
She stood frozen in a horrible state of indecision. Should she return to Patrick to help him? Was there even anything that she could do? Was he even alive? What was that thing? Would it be coming back?
She knew her best hope, and Patrick’s, was to find help as fast as possible. Her legs felt as though they were made of rubber as she began to move down the path again, her mind swirling with a thousand thoughts and questions. All she knew for certain was that she needed to get help and get back to him as fast as possible.
It wasn’t long before there was another flash of lightning and crash of static thunder. Again the static hiss remained. There was a bright flash, and snowy static appeared in the trunk of a nearby pine tree in a vertical fashion, as if a television was turned on its side. The white screen once again gave way to a picture. This time it was of a large, dead oak tree in a small clearing surrounded by thick woods.
She could see the static man hovering around a branch about halfway up. His arms were moving rapidly, but it was unclear what he was doing. Holding her breath she stepped closer to the screen embedded in the tree. The static man suddenly moved backwards, and a dark object fell. Samantha squinted and moved closer, trying to figure out what she was looking at until it became terribly clear.
It was Patrick hanging from a noose, the bear trap still attached to his face. His body twitched a couple of times, and then fell still.
Samantha hadn’t realised how close to screen she had gotten until it filled again with snowy static, and a loud hissing split the silent night air. The screen rippled, forming waves that moved like liquid across the surface, and a hand made of snowy static reached through the screen to grab her wrist.
The static hand burned her flesh as she struggled against it, and she could feel her flesh bubble and pop beneath. She tried to grab hold of the fingers to pry them off, but her other hand was shocked with a spark of electricity that left her fingers numb and paralysed.
“Please, no!” She cried.
The hand pulled her closer to the screen. She could feel intense heat and electricity as her face came centimeters away from the screen. Tiny tendrils of static reached from the screen, latching onto her face and burning like tiny matches. Two large tentacles shot out on either side of the screen, wrapping themselves around her body. Intense waves of pain wracked her as the smell of burning clothing and hair hit her nostrils. In one swift motion she was pulled into screen with a sickening sucking noise, then the world went
