Static

​Steven eased himself into the chair. The comforting sound of birds put him at ease and exhaustion caught up with him after such a long day. The warm fire glowed its appreciation for his hard work. The logs burned splendidly, fighting the cold air and finally a good night’s rest neared. Before drifting into a deep slumber Steven reached for the remote and turned the TV on. He preferred to listen to something while he slept; strangely the sounds didn't seem to have such an affect tonight.

​The news was as boring as ever. Talk of a storm on the coast, talk of a death in a public place, talk of possible war. It was the same stories every day. He switched the channel to sports and placed the remote down. He knew he was about to fall asleep, so he might as well have dreams about football while he was out. His eyelids drooped and darkness fell over him.
The Steven woke up. It was late in the evening now. The room had fallen dark. The fire was out. However, the TV was still on. Steven rubbed his eyes and yawned. The sound that caught his attentions was grating. It was the sound of static from the TV. He wondered if this was what woke him up, but he doubted it. Still, he might as well turn the TV off and go sleep in his actual bed. He muttered to himself as he rubbed his eyes slowly till his eyes adjusted to the darkness.
He climbed out of the chair with great difficulty; he wasn't the lightest of men. With slow, unsteady steps he neared the TV and turned it off. The static disappeared and he was now in complete void. He knew his way back to his room like the back of his hand and soon he was climbing into the cool covers. His aching arms twitched with slight pain caused by the work he did at the lumber-mill. That being said, Steven did force himself to ignore it, or he would never sleep. The last thing he needed was physical pains.
Suddenly, a familiar sound returned before his head hit the welcoming pillow.  It was the static of the TV, grating its sound softly through the living room and cutting straight to his eyes. There was nothing hypnotic about this static, otherwise Steven would have ignored it. The voice at the back of his mind beckoned for sleep, but he had to investigate. Did the TV remote fall of the side table and turn on the television? It was possible in a stranger world, but not in his home. Whatever the reason, he couldn't very sleep with it on. As Steven climbed out of the bed the static became louder than before. No longer low and grating, but loud and obnoxious.
He grunted his displeasure as he walked through the hallway back to the living room. A light flashed within the house for a blink of an eye. Darkness returned and the man counted the seconds before he heard the crack of lighting. It wasn't far but it didn't matter. He continued his journey ignoring the approaching storm, recalling the new mentioning it not too long ago. His large arms and clumsy feet bumped the sides of the walls and edges of furniture, making this walk more frustrating.
Entering the living room he noticed something that confused his very tired mind. The static sound reverberated around him, yet the TV was off. The TV was definitely off and the sound was not coming from the TV itself anyway. Something about this room was creating this noise He looked around the room for the source, but he didn't see anything. Another flash of light, this time the sound came sooner. This thought didn't cross his mind. He was far too concerned with the open window. Steven never opens this window, seeing it made fear manifest within his chest and spread towards his mind. The curtains floated on the frigid breeze and his originally calm mind was filled with aggravating thoughts.
The static grew louder as time passed. Steven was not moving. Something in him kept his feet bolted to the floor. The static blocked out all other sound. He stared at the blank window, although there was nothing he could see in the darkness. Another flash. His jaw dropped at a sudden, blood-freezing sight.
There wasn't anything in sight outside, but inside there were tendrils of darkness creeping from the window across the wall like shadows. They disappeared as soon as the flash of lighting vanished. His feet were free and he ran to his room. He didn't get far. When he entered the hallway he noticed the front door was open. More needles of fear pierced his being, some pinning his limbs to where they were. He was frozen in fear and there was no amount of courage within Steven that would free him.
The static vanished. All sound had left him. He stared into the pitch black outside through the very open doorway. No lighting, no sound of rain. Nothing. His eyes focused further outside. There was a dark sky, no stars, but enough light from the ghost of a moon to show off the silhouettes of the trees. Among these trees Steven noticed a blank, featureless shape the size of a football. It was white and in this darkness it stuck out like a sore thumb. All his mind focused on it and the faint sounds of steps. The pale shape was approaching, bobbing in the shadows and growing larger as it covered the distance.
Steven tried to turn his head and get his body in motion to runaway, but to no avail. Steven's head twitched sharply, as if pulled by a neck muscle in spasm. He was being forced to watch the figure, as if his body surrendered to the figure. It stared at him, he stared at it. He heard the legends, everyone had. It was there and then it wasn't. The pale face of the tall man was no longer in sight, gone in a blink.
Steven tuned his ears now to hear any sounds, but silence was all he heard. His world shifted, the house twisting in his vision as he collapsed, heart finally giving out.
The last sight Steven had burned into his now blackened eyes was that of dark formal shoes and the sound of crying.
Of course, Steven's disappearance was reported when one of his friends came over to visit the house. There wasn't anything unusual; all windows and doors were locked, no sign of entry. Nothing was stolen and absolutely no evidence to say fowl play was a possibility. The situation to most and the police was that Steven left home and walked away never to be seen again. However, a handful knew what happened to Steven, they knew the culprits name, but for fear of a padded cell, said nothing. Now you know too.