This has always been a quiet town. As of late, it’s been quieter still. These days, people are reluctant to leave their homes.
It started off harmlessly enough. In fact, when it began, no-one would realise for quite some time that it even had. People began to suffer from increasingly severe headaches. Children were affected the most. My wife was one of the people affected, I myself did not notice any ill effect, and did not make the connection until much later.
I would guess that it was roughly a week after these headaches started, that anyone first noticed something was amiss. The first body found was a young boy, I couldn’t say for sure but I think he must have been only 12 years old at the most. Looked to be suicide.
That was just the start. From that point on, people started dropping like flies. Most fell into some manner of coma; some were suicides, as with the first case, while a small few seemed to have died outright, of no discernible cause.
What was more baffling still, was that there was little rhyme or reason to those affected, no common thread tying these people together.
Though concerned, of course, I had my own job to do, and thought I could do little else but leave the matter to those that were qualified to deal with it.
When I returned to my home not three days from the first death, however, I changed my mind.
- - -
I daresay whoever is reading this can guess at what awaited me. I would request your understanding that I do not wish to dwell long on this particular detail. Suffice to say, my wife was not waiting for my return, to greet me in our usual fashion, nor will be again.
I now had a personal stake in events, and understood all too clearly the terrible reality of the situation. With this, how could I possibly sit by and hope that someone else would resolve the situation? No, I had to do whatever I could.
The public, understandably, were quite reluctant to divulge any information to me. I cannot blame them for that. Slowly, I began to piece together the events of, by this stage, the last couple of months.
The first indication that something was wrong, I realised, was the headaches. These still persisted, and typically, when they were at their worst, someone would suffer in some fashion soon after.
However, those suffering from the headaches, and those that were dying or falling from consciousness, were two different groups. Sometimes overlapping, but it was still clear that one did not lead to the other. So rather than being the cause, I can only fathom that these headaches are a sign of the presence of whatever is doing this.
The second thing that caught my interest was the state of the victims. In almost every case, regardless of the eventual outcome, the victims show signs of self-inflicted injury. Even those patients that have survived, albeit remaining, still, unconscious, show signs of this.
The final piece of information that I have managed to gather, and the detail that has been by far the most difficult on which to persuade people to speak, is as follows.
Only 10 hours prior to the first death, erratic behavior was observed in a variety of electronic equipment. Key amongst these, in my opinion, are that through radio and other audio emitting devices, a heavy static and garbled noises have been experienced [Headaches seem to have been especially severe in those to have heard this.], and that there have been claims that a shadowy figure was seen crossing TV monitors, against a backdrop of static. Of the latter, I have only been able to gather second-hand accounts. Only a couple of months ago, I would have dismissed such fanciful tales, but with the town’s atmosphere as it is, with all those that have suffered, I find the idea that there is some connection to these events quite plausible.
It is only now, that I come to write this, that I realize that in the past few weeks, many of the people I have spoken to have left their TVS and radios switched off, unplugged, or seem not to own one at all.
- - -
I’ve seen it! The shadow they spoke of!
I was at the hospital, attempting to find out if they had observed any change in the comatose victims. My, I must profess, unsuccessful, attempts at interrogation were interrupted by a sudden, harsh burst of static. The nurse fled immediately, but I, instead, sought the source of the noise.
The screen that would normally display the patient’s vital signs was the culprit, now only a flurry of snow upon it. Against my better judgement, I did not avert my eyes, and so, continued to look on as I saw an indistinct, shadowy figure pass from one side of the screen to the other. Once it had passed, the noise subsided, and the original display slowly flickered back into view.
This is it, the cause of these events, I am sure of it. And now, having seen it. My fate. Is it, perhaps, the same?
You may be familiar with how, if you gaze upon a bright light, an image of its shape will remain once you close your eyes. That shadowy figure, in this manner, remains with me now, as I write this. It has not faded.
Worse, it does not remain still. Since I first saw it, the figure has imitated the first few steps of the figure I saw in the monitor. But now, I know, it has become aware of me, and is slowly turning in my direction.
If I could keep my eyes open, perhaps I would be safe, but everyone needs to blink. My eyes may only close for a fraction of a second; too briefly for me to even see how much progress that figure has made but I know, all the same, that it’s progress is unstoppable now. Perhaps if I took a longer look, the figure may not, by now, be quite so indistinct. Perhaps, if I had the courage, I might be able to offer some insight as to the identity of this killer. But I dare not. I do not know how close it is to me now.
I don’t know how much time I have left, but I must tell all I can, in the hopes that someone may succeed where I have failed.
You may have figured it out by now, you, who are reading this, but the injuries sustained by the previous victims…In almost all cases, the injuries were to the eyes. Some died in the attempt, but those who now lie in comas are the ones that succeeded in destroying their sight. Many that died showed signs of trying, as well, but I can only imagine they were not quite fast enough.
I…do not have the will to attempt it, I can only hope what I write here will, in some way, help to end this.
Do not look upon ANY manner of screen.
No matter what happens.
Do NOT look.
It’s close!
It’s he
- - -
‘Kadabra, Pokédex entry: Leaf Green – It emits special alpha waves from its body that induce headaches just by being close.’
‘Kadabra, Pokédex entry: Diamond – If one is nearby, an eerie shadow appears on TV screens. Seeing the shadow is said to bring bad luck.’
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