A Horror Story 7: I.M
Writer's Note: Little something different this year!
Communication is the backbone of any sentient species. Animals tend to function better in packs then by their lonesome, and how effectively a pack can function depends on how well they can communicate. Humans, with their brains, can communicate at far greater levels than most animals, and hence, we became the predominant species of the planet.
The 20th century saw an explosion in the development of that plane, the likes of which might never be repeated. I must admit, I think that if I was born a generation earlier, I would have been a very unhappy person. A life with just letters, and a phone with the constant threat of long distance bills? I may have lost some things in my life, but I still have my PDA, my phones, and the internet.
Of course…those can bring their own problems. Especially the Internet. Identity theft. Bubble thinking. Cyber-bullying (the last one really bothers me at times. When you have jackholes leaving insulting messages on memorial Facebook pages of people who committed suicide, completely certain they are invisible and that they chose to use this power to insult the dead, the dead they might have had a hand in making dead…doesn't speak well of what a lot of this world does if you give them power. Unfortunately, I have yet to figure out a way to deliver painful electric shocks through the internet).
Sometimes, though…
Worse happens.
From: missfenton
To: scaranormal, tuckamuck, mansonplan, jazzling, toasthemost
Subject: Communications
Our personal communications system will be down for the next three days in order to improve the system. As a result, barring emergencies, we will be on leave until it can be fixed. In case of emergencies, please use your phones and/or computers (there, Tucker) to communicate, and make sure they are charged.
"Hello?"
"Hi Danny. I was thinking…we're in Las Vegas, and Deal's gone…maybe we could go out? Even if you don't wanna gamble, there's plenty of places to shop and stuff."
"Uh…sorry Sam. Val and I already made plans for today…maybe tomorrow?"
"What? Awwwww…okay fine, let me check the weather first…yeah, maybe tomorrow would be good."
"All right. See you later, Sam."
"Yeah Danny. Have fun."
PL-7855
U ever wondr if u mist the boat?
SM-7900
The ocean's a big place.
PL-7855
Yeh, but we have no wind.
SM-7900
We can drift. Not like we're in danger of starving.
PL-7855
Kep tell uself that, hun.
"Hello?"
"Hey man, we don't have a ton of miscellaneous funds! Don't waste them all on the roulette table!"
"Tucker, Valerie and I are probably going to take in shows rather than drop money into games of chance. Trust me, after dealing with…well, Deal, you realize just how rigged these games are even when they're…not rigged, you know?"
"Yeah. Well, maybe I'll go out and empty our coffers instead."
"Go ahead. You need to get out more, Tuck."
"Is that a nerd joke?"
"Tucker, with you, nothing is a joke. On the downside, that means more nerd."
"Ha ha."
MansonPlan Vegas is scarring my irises
TuckAmuck Not me. I always wear my sunglasses at nite RT MansonPlan Vegas is scarring my irises
MansonPlan Hey Tucker, you wanna hit the town then? Since there's nothing else to do? RT TuckAmuck Not me. I always wear my sunglasses at nite
PreciousPaulina Tuker N Sam, siting in a tree, K-I-S-D-I-N-B
TuckAmuck Good to see your spelling is as refined as ever RT PreciousPaulina Tuker N Sam, siting in a tree, K-I-S-D-I-N-B
PreciousPaulina Pad small tye one hand hard! RT TuckAmuck Good to see your spelling is as refined as ever.
MansonPlan You just keep telling yourself that, buddy girl RT PreciousPaulina Pad small tye one hand hard!
PreciousPaulina I ken zap you frm two miles way u know
pd EMBRACE INI /6609
Mansonplan The heck was that?
TuckAmuck I dunno…virus scanner isn't picking up anything. I'll turn on my firewalls and check RT Mansonplan The heck was that?
PreciousPaulina Chking random lnks, wht exciting lfe
PreciousPaulina Hello?
PreciousPaulina I on phne, can't chck link
PreciousPaulina Guys?
TuckAmuck is offline
MansonPlan is offline
"He-"
"JAZZ! GET DOWN HERE! MAIN CONTROL ROOM! WE HAVE A PROBLEM!" Maddie Fenton yelled, with the sound of screaming in the background. "IT'S TUCKER, HE-!"
A horrific shriek, and then the phone went dead.
JZ-7888
DANY HLP!
DP-7800
What? What's wrong Jazz?
JZ-7888
MOM GNE NTS! TUCK TOO! HLP!
DP-7800
NMWY!
"Hello?"
"Paulina, are you all right?"
"Danny? Yeah, I'm just eating in a…"
"Get out of there. Out of public, go to ground! We have a problem! There's…I dunno, some weird noise…thing!"
"What?"
"It played for Tucker on an email or something, made him nuts! He infected mom and Jazz, they tried to do the same to me…Flare blocked them out. Thankfully, she was also able to exorcise them, but Tuck's hurt! We need to get him to a doctor, check his spine! Whatever this thing was, it made him drag himself out of his chair!"
"…is that the thing that they saw on their twitter?"
"What thing?"
"Tucker, Sam, and I…"
"SAM?"
DP-7800
Sam?
DP-7800
Sam please pick up.
DP-7800
Come on Sam.
SM-7900
Embrce Ini al trbls cse
DN-7800
Sam! Snap out of it!
SM-7900
Dnc
"How bad is it?"
"Bad, Valerie! I need you to track down Sam!"
"What? Why me?"
"Because Tucker and my mom and Jazz were all affected by this damn noise curse thing and I don't know how far it spreads! They need me to protect them!"
"…right. I'll hook up with Paulina."
"Valerie, Sam won't be herself. Be careful she doesn't get hurt."
"I don't think…he hung up. Somehow I'm not surprised."
From: RobinIII
To: missfenton, scaranormal, tuckamuck, mansonplan, jazzling, toasthemost
Subject: IMPORTANT. AUDIO VIRUS. READ.
An audio wavelength infection has been unleashed onto random parts of the internet by unknown perpetrators today. The infection manifests through sound, nine very specific tones that alters brain patterns and induced obsession-based insanity regarding whatever the target was doing when s/he heard it. The infected can also replicate this tonal wavelength to spread the infection. Background noise interrupts the process. We are calling this the I-Ni meme plague and declaring a class one alert. Remain off public web spaces on the internet and utilize private servers to communicate. We have developed a counter frequency to disable those who are in the grip of the meme infection, but the counter-tones must be said with exact precision. Please listen to attached audio file to hear the tones and several suggested sentences to use them in if you insist on trying to use them vocally. Recordings are recommended instead. I reiterate, this infection spreads through sound. If you encounter an infected, yell, scream, do anything you can to prevent the compete sequence from being heard properly. Further information will be sent as acquired. Good luck everyone.
VL-7850
Dany I fond Sam
DP-7800
Where?
VL-7850
Dance clb. Crazyy.
DP-7800
Yeah, get email? Tuck/Sam see Ini in Gaga video. Jst Dance. Tuck hurt trying. Sam go where dance happen.
VL-7850
I go in?
DP-7800
No. Jst me. Use pure Flare. Exorcse virus. Wrk for Tuckmomsis. Wrk here.
VL-7850
Dany there 100s in there! U get killed!
DP-7800
Save Sam. Die after.
"Miss Fenton?"
"Valerie? What is it?"
"Danny went into the nightclub where Sam is alone…it's bad in there, Maddie. A big thrashing mess of…well, excess. Sam must have infected the whole place."
"Is Danny going to try and patch the counter-frequency into the speakers?"
"No. He said he was going to use the Magnus."
"…Even Danny can't cure that many people. Valerie, I'm sending you the frequency. Back up my son. And shut down the hearing factors of your battle costume. Better deaf than one of them."
"…I'll try ma'am."
"Do so."
MF-7801
Jazz?
JF-7799
Yeah mom?
MF-7801
You tracked down Valerie's location?
JF-7799
Yeah I'll be there in maybe three minutes.
MF-7801
Danny's trying to save everyone. Not thinking. Sam.
MF-7801
Valerie's going to try to help. Might not be able.
MF-7801
When you get there, if things are quiet, secure.
MF-7801
If the plague is still out of control, Valerie has mask, Danny the Magnus
MF-7801
Nerve gas the whole area
JF-7799
MOM R U CRAZY!
MF-7801
I already lost your father, Jasmine.
MF-7801
I'm not losing your brother.
MF-7801
You're just following orders
MF-7801
Do it
"Danny we have to-!"
Jazz heard chaos in the background, along with a pained yell, and then Danny's phone went dead.
MF-7801
Jazz?
MF-7801
Jazz, please send a confirmation signal.
MF-7801
…anything.
MF-7801
…Jazz please answer.
MF-7801
JAZZ
JF-7799
This is Danny mom we're clear
MF-7801
Danny! What happened?
JF-7799
The usual. Phone brk. Use Jazz
MF-7801
Is everyone all right
JF-7799
Yeah. Tuck?
MF-7801
He avoided further damage
JF-7799
…gas, mom?
MF-7801
…I just prepared for the worst
JF-7799
…You forgot the other prt
JF-7800
Hope for the best
The Internet had always been a lynchpin for the spreading of rumors presented as facts. You know how so many parents check Halloween candy for poison and razor blades? That's based on one single case and it wasn't even random Halloween candy poisoning, it was an insane bastard trying to murder his daughter for an insurance payment and poisoning her friends and other kids to cover his tracks. He failed, thankfully. But it just goes to show you you shouldn't click on random links. There's always some kind of virus behind it, one way or another.
The Internet had always been a battleground. Look at that recent film about Facebook and all the troubles around it.
The Internet…hmmm.
They call it the World Wide Web, but that's an understatement. There's a million worlds on there. A billion, maybe more. It's easy to get lost in all of them.
But its worlds do not produce food. Water. Air. But what they can produce is an illusion that what it does produce matters more. Maybe once upon a time, the only people you had a choice to be friends with are the people right there…
Maybe not any more, but you should never forget that.
Don't forget who your friends are.
…though that's something that you don't need the internet to do.
Communication, after all, was our first art.
End File.
CLICK!
Well then…
We'll see if I can conjure up another world next year, won't we?