"Glad you could come over." Her words. Harsh and ungrateful.
"Surprised you called." He grinned.
"Listen," she stuttered, not something she would usually do, "I'm having something along the lines ofa crisis, and right now, you're the only one who can help."
"Because of my skills?"
"In photography." She answered.
"I see," he stated dryly but still grinning, "So what do we got?"
"Alright," she said, sitting down on the couch in the living room, but making no offer for him, "Gar, you know about Jinx's death."
"Yeah."
"Do you know why she died?"
He frowned in an awkward fashion, "They said heart failure."
"Why would she have heart failure?"
"Beats me."
"This." She said, getting up and taking a video tape off the kitchen counter.
"Home video?"
"No. Afraid not."
"Then what?" he asked curiously peering over at the tape.
"Have you ever heard of a tape, a tape that kills."
"By seizure?"
"No."
"How?"
"I don't know. You watch it and there're all these strange images and distorted pictures and a phone call and seven days." She murmured.
"What? I didn't catch that."
" This tape," she said cautiously, "Will kill you, in seven days."
"Rae, I don't-."
"Do you want to watch it?"
"Is this a joke?"
"No you probably shouldn't."
"Nah, this can't be a joke, your too-."
"I'm too what?"
"Stuck up. But what is this all about."
"I just told you." Anger now checking in.
"All I heard was crap."
"Do you want to see the pictures?"
"I don't know what the hell- What the Hell?" he asked as she handed him pictures. Pictures of her.
"I took them last night." She said slightly saddened, "After I watched this."
"But they're all- what camera did you use?"
"Take my picture." she demanded.
"Do you have a camera?"
"I told you to bring one."
"And I would listen, why?"
After a sigh, Raven got up and entered her bedroom in search of the camera. Leaving time for Gar to look over the pictures a little closer.
Distorted and damaged looking. They were of her. Raven. They were wrong. They were dead. She looked dead. "Rae?"
"Here." She said, reapearing in the room with a digital camera.
After an inspection of the device, he put it in action, "Okay just hold still, and- are you even going to look at it?"
Dissatisfied she looked at the camera with nothing but apathy.
"Are you gonna smile?"
"Would I?"
"Say cheese." And literally, in a flash, the shot was taken.
"Well?" she asked.
"Well, it looks like your camera screwed up." He said looking down at the digital camera's screen. It was Raven all right, but, like in the pictures, her face was distorted.
"I told you."
"I don't get it. Do you want me to fix your camera or something?"
"There's nothing wrong with the camera. This video-."
"What about the video?"
She partially sighed, "This video is disturbing. You watch it and you get a phone call."
"Anyone in particular?" he asked grinning.
"Seven days." She murmured.
"Seven what?"
"Your told that 'you will die in seven days."
"By who?"
"I don't know."
"Rae?"
"Raven."
"Yes?" he asked absent mindedly.
"Gar, I watched it. This is what Jinx watched. She's dead."
"I know that. You want me to watch it."
"I don't know."
"You asked me to, earlier."
"Gar, I'm not sure what this will do-."
"It's just a video." He said taking it from it's less than respectful place on the couch.
"Gar-."
"I got it." He said as he put the tape in the VCR. "You should get a DVD player. Better image."
"Gar, if your going to watch it," she paused, "I'll be in the kitchen."
"Kay." He said, and at that, a familiar looking ring filled the TV screen, and the sound of a dulled scream poured from the speakers.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
"That was interesting." He said, entering the kitchen.
"You watched it?" She asked surprised.
"No, I married it, what do you think."
A ring pierced their conversation.
"Ya gonna get that?"
"It's the voice."
The ring continued.
"You want me to get it?"
"Don't touch it."
The ring persisted.
"Rae-."
"Raven."
"Raven, it's okay. You watched it. I watched it. We're still alive."
"It takes-."
The ringing of the phone stopped.
"Seven days."
There was a silence in the apartment.
"Oh." He said. "That's nice."
"Gar, threepeople are dead, seven days after watching that video. I watched it and was told that I was going to die." If Raven had ever been close to tears in her entire young adulthood, she was the closest now. "Aren't you even scared?"
"Nope. Urban legends are beneath you." He said grinning, "You're the last person I would except t-."
"Gar, are you going to help or not?"
"Sure, but I'm not touching that tape until you get me a copy."
"I will."
There was a silence over the apartment that lasted for a while.
"Got any tofu?"
"I don't think so." Raven said reluctantly. Curiosity now filled her as she stepped across the living room where the TV was still on with blurry static, indicating the end of a film.
Gar made his way over to the kitchen. "Okay if I search your fridge?"
There was no answer as Raven looked over at her phone, attached to a answering machine.
"Rae?"
There was no correction of her name, for she was too busy peering at the '1' flashing on the machine.
"Raiie? Ravvvy?" he asked, dragging on her name carelessly.
The only answer he got was the 'beep' of an answering machine, being erased.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXxxxxxxxXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Phft. That sucked.
To the reviewing button! AWAY!!!