Abysmal Tale Number Fourteen: Last Note Nightmare

Welcome Back Ladies and Gentlemen


This is one I like to call: Last Note Nightmare


Ah, the modern age. Such a wonderful little creation people enjoy these days. Everything is so easy. People forget that sometimes easy comes with a price. Sometimes I forget that, no. I really did. No question about it. I forgot completely about the old ways when people actually had to look for things, and had to leave their house to do it. Life is usually pretty easy. A click here, a code there and instant win. Right, it sounds so easy. Of course sometimes things happen to remind you of the old days.

Well, the old days weren't all they were cracked up to be. My story begins on a fall day, sunset with a sky splashed with blood colored light. You know. It's kinda hard to tell the difference between this and the sunrise sometimes. If I didn't know any better it would seem that the beginning of my story is pretty much the very concept of the term being timeless. Well, the next time you see the sky as red as I saw it, pay attention, see if you can tell with out seeing where the sun it, just what time it is. Then you'll see what I really mean. Anyways. I was walking, a rare event but I just needed to get out of the house, don't you ever get sick of the same four walls screaming at you constantly with their silent accusations that you should be doing something else, I do.

Anyway, I was walking down the street when something caught my eye. Something that I can honestly say I haven't seen in quite along time. A music store. Well, not one of those corporate run chains that sell everything and music, but simply music, when was the last time you've seen anything not connected to some massive money eating beast, hungrier than a wendigo and twice as ruthless? Chances are, it's been awhile. If not maybe you can consider yourself lucky. Maybe not after reading this, we'll see. Anyways, this store was a nice little place that I hadn't seen before. It was called the B-side. A clever little name for a music store I thought, and since I had nothing better to do at the time, I strolled on in.

Oh, the place was something directly from the seventies. Posters, records, endless amounts of cassettes, CD's and I am sure if I looked I could find a few eight tracks. So all the good ones were here, all the bands I really liked and new, the prices were a bit higher for the mainstream stuff, but what can you expect, I suppose that was perfectly normal. I didn't notice it right away but it just so happened that I wasn't the only one in the store. Other people, must have been regulars, were wandering around the various aisles all looking at different music choices. Oddly enough for a music store, there was nothing I had ever heard was streaming through the speakers, I never saw any speakers. But the music was still there. Of course, music is defined many different ways. This was all music, no words. Kinda just the way I like most of my music anyway. But I had never heard it before. It was odd though. i knew I had heard notes of it before, but the melody was so haunting. I just couldn't place it, and almost instantly I knew I had to have it.

Well, there was a small little problem with that. I had absolutely no idea who created such haunting music. So I asked people. Sometimes asking is the best thing you can do, sometimes people know things, and even sometimes, you get results. This, wasn't one of those times. Nobody could tell me anything different than this was the same music that was same that usually played most of the time. It was mostly considered nothing more than background music, but none of them seemed too eager to talk about it. Sometimes when something hooks into your mind you just have to know more.

So I learned in the best way I could. I went right up to the front desk and straight out asked the weird, older guy about it. He was, weird. How else do I describe it. Those beady eyes of his seemed almost pure black in the dim light of the store. I asked him, and a sense of terrible dread came over me, I really couldn't explain it. He told me that the Music wasn't for sale, for it was just a demo recording that was delivered to other places like this. Advertising was expensive I guess and a free demo disk was the way to go. The guy had an extra copy and said I could have it, no charge. My lucky day.

He disappeared into the back room only for a few minutes. Then returned with a plain CD case, but inside was the ink colored disc. He handed to me, but the man with the eyes that scared me so did not smile. He seemed eager to get rid of the thing actually. I don't know if that was the case or nor but, whatever. It was in my hands and now I could have this music for myself. Then the guy said that there was only one freebie per customer, and that I had to go now. It was weird but as I turned around. I could feel like everybody in the place was watching my every move as I left. Nobody was looking at me, I could see that, but still. It seemed as if something was watching me leave. I shook it off, new place and different people, not to mention that I had just gotten a free item. Of course people would be watching me, jealous of course. And oddly enough. Just as I walked out. I realized that the melody I had found so enchanting before, stopped dead the second I reached the door. I had the feeling if I turned around just then I would be gazing into black hole of terror filled with glowing red eyes, or something like that. So I didn't turn around. I just left.

Leaving the store I realized all to quickly the sky had turned a shade darker. Gone was the red color of the sky, night was coming quickly and it was time to go home. I wanted to inspect my new item, but I decided to wait until I got home to do it. Sliding it in my jacket pocket and headed home. I couldn't wait to do it though. The way home was filled with a silence that I wasn't used to. I don't even remember seeing any cars on the way home. I hoped I wasn't dead or something. I was getting worried, but as if someone else were watching, a car drove by, and better yet. I at least I hope it was better, I saw the driver's head turn and notice me. So hey, at least I wasn't invisible. But then in retrospect, I suppose it was a little creepy now that I think about it. A lone driver passing me by, and turning to look at me. Yeah, ok so that didn't make me feel any better.

Getting home to my one bedroom apartment I slid through the door and closed it behind me. Home was a safe place, safe from all the creepiness outside and in strange buildings with weirder people. Yeah, I was home again. Took off my jacket and threw it on the sofa, but not before I pulled out my CD. It wasn't as blank a case as it had appeared to be. On the front of it were the words engraved into the plastic. "Last Note Nightmare" Weird name for an album name I suppose. Not the strangest though.

I turned it over to the back. I didn't expect there to be too many songs on there, but as it so happens, there were a few. And they all had interesting titles that seemed to scream at my mind, words and names that I knew I had seen or heard of before. At least I thought that I had.

1. Blackwater Flow
2. Eyes in the Mist
3. Beyond the Thickest Black
4. Night time Traveler
5 Emerald Sunset
6. Alien Skies
7. Ancient Stars
8. Nameless Desert
9. Old Book
10. Forbidden Ritual
11. Portal Song
12. Organized Chaos
13. Breaking of the Sigil

So, there were only thirteen songs, I should have known. The titles of the songs seemed to be more then they appeared to be at first. Like they told some kind of story all on their own. Of course I really didn't think about it too much. I opened the case and out fell a piece of paper. I saw it fall to the floor. I picked it up and opened it carefully. It seemed to be pretty old so I had to be careful. It only had one sentence on it. Don't play past song number five. That's all it said. I absolutely hated tiny cryptic messages with no reason. I would have been happier if the author of the note would have had a reason for this. Now I was worried that there really was something wrong with the disc. Oh well, whatever.

I put the CD into my player, and I pressed play. I was barely turned around when from the speakers came a terrible scream, or, that's the best way I could describe it. As if my speakers themselves had tuned into a channel that had broadcast itself from hell itself. Oh, wow. I thought that was more then enough. I was going to push stop when all the sudden, as if it knew, the screeching began to fade away and the music began. It actually sounded to me like it was a river, made out of music and sound that nearly seemed impossible to create. Of course I am no musical expert and what seems impossible for me might be easy for somebody else. I just let the music flow from the speakers. It was pretty good, even though you can't hear it as you read it I know, but that's alright. You are better off anyways. Telling you every tiny note and detail of the song would ruin it. After all, you are going to listen to this for yourself, right? I hope so. Oh, right. Where was I.

The music was just as haunting and infective as I remember it. Yes. It was. This first song was soothing, happy almost. It reminded me of a time walking near a shoreline of a river of black slime that I...wait. I never did that. But how come I remember doing it now? And I surely can't think a river of thick, black slime would be too comforting. Hey, this was a pretty good song, but the trouble with it was pretty simple. I couldn't tell when one song was ending and another was beginning. I looked up at the player, it was just changing from one song to the next. Song number two, yes. What was it called again. Off hand I couldn't remember. The music swelled up again and it seemed as if the whole room seemed to echo it's somber tune, no. Well. Not echo exactly. Actually it seemed if the walls themselves had been playing the music. I don't know if the speakers were the only source of the sound or not. Oh, I hope not, it would have been so amazing if the music was coming from the walls too, don't you think so?

The window in my apartment seemed to grow blacker as the night drew into it's full power. Yeah, it was night time. Dark and creepy like the night should be. Magical if you might want to call it that. I would. You should too. Because I said so. The second song was marvelous in the attempt to portray the meaning behind it. I could see in my mind a landscape filled with swirling fog and endless moans of pain, with dark red eyes gazing from a predator unseen just beyond the grey, waiting for you to make the wrong move and attack. Who would hear you scream, who would notice that you disappeared into the endless gray? Ah the spirit of adventure, who can deny it's unending call. Darkness is the fate of all people who resist, so...hey, this song happened to be a shorter one. The next one is coming. Oh. How exciting. I can't wait. The feeling, this music has brought me to life.

Oddly enough. I was standing there. I remember it now. You see. I was standing there. Listening to the music I hadn't even thought to sit down or anything. Although I didn't feel like it was a bad thing. I didn't realize what I was doing but I remembered the note. "Don't play past song number 5" I wondered that maybe I should shut it off. I would never get the chance. How long was it. How long could I have stood there off in to a distant world that I found mysterious and terrifying at the same time, yet I never left my spot. It was all in my head. I was going to not take the chance. To listen to the cryptic warning .

I looked upon the player, that infernal machine had tricked me some how. I don't understand how, but it did. The number was flashing, it was thirteen. Over..and over..and over again. And the song that came on was not any music. The speakers were blaring the hideous and wild sounds that chilled me to the soul. How else do you describe such horrible noise. I then fell to my knees. Now I knew why the message said that I shouldn't play the thing past song five. I wish it would have told me not to play it at all. The noise was terrible. It wasn't music. Not music of this world. I remember now. I looked out into the night. All I could see was a deep green mist outside. You see, it was green. I am telling you the truth of the matter. It was trying to get in. God help me the mist was trying to get into my place! The window. It was cracking and the noise was bleeding through of what I knew to be common sense. Why, I don't know. I couldn't know, and who could. None. The unknowable sound was ancient and terrible. Something out of the darkest depths of the imagination of a psychopath, what else could it have been. Somehow though. I was able to claw my way to the machine and hit the stop button. Beautiful silence at last.

The window had returned to normal. Everything was as it had been before. Besides the time. It was midnight. I had been standing for about six hours. I opened the CD door, it slid out. But to my horror. There was nothing inside. I looked and I couldn't even find the case anymore. Nothing.

I didn't understand it. You wouldn't either. I write this now, the past six months every time I have heard anyone speak, any radio broadcast...any ambient noise at all. All I can hear is that last note of the CD. I lay here in my soundproofed room writing this down, I don't know how much more I can take of this. Now that I have told my tale. I may ask for a radio to play in my room. But the terror of the unknown sound is mine to bear alone. I am the only one who can hear it. Nobody else seems to.

The horrible last note is always waiting. So if you ever are offered a free CD called the Last Note Nightmare, and you have read this, by some miracle..Don't accept it, and don't ask for it. And if you do...for God's sake don't play it past the fifth song. For if you do. Not even God will be able to help you anymore.