Dead Air

Part title

"And we are back!"

Harper yelled into the microphone as she adjusted her headphones, she pressed the button to lower the music and raise the volume of her voice as she saw the large neon red sign blinking "on air" she glanced to the large bay window that opened up into the small control desk where her assistant, Sabrina was monitoring calls, she sat there with her curly scarlet hair pulled up into a messy bun with her large black rimmed glasses resting on the edge of her nose, Joshua, the producer, walked up and handed Sabrina a coffee cup and sat down with her. He rested his chin on his hand and took a sip from his cup.

Harper had been with the radio station for about six months now and she loved it, they gave her a segment where she basically gives callers advice but sometimes they would spice things up and let callers expose their scandals or expose their confessions and Harper would try to help them.

Tonight, wasn't out of the ordinary, the show started at 6pm and it was about 7:45 the show only had fifteen minutes left and the three of them were very excited to get off work and go home.

Sabrina had three calls lined up for Harper

She answered call one

The voice of a sweet young girl whispered into the phone, "hello, my name is Abigail, my boyfriend has been playing video games a lot and he doesn't really spend much time with me anymore..." her voice trailed off as Joshua got up and walked over to the door and stepped outside to smoke.

He pulled out his lighter and lit the cigarette the smoke feathered off into the night sky of the mountains. The station was perched on a small hill that sat just above the town. He finished up and slid his ID card and the door buzzed he stepped back inside and joined Sabrina as Harper finished up with the call.

Harper got up as she cut to commercial break and she stepped into the office. She picked up her coffee and took a sip.

"I'm so ready for this weekend" she said smiling towards Sabrina and Joshua.

Harper had planned a nice relaxing weekend; she was going to finish this shift go home take a nice long shower and then binge watch the newest season of some Sci-Fi show that everyone had been posting about maybe crack open a bottle of wine if she was feeling a little crazy.

Sabrina and Joshua's plans weren't much different except Sabrina was going home to her sweetheart of a cat, Boomer. Joshua had no one to go home to except his gaming buddies he would stay up until 4am screaming at the children about how to kill a zombie.

Harper walked back into the studio. The heel of her boots clicking with every step. She walked over to her office chair and sat down returning the headphones to her head and then pulling the microphone close to her lips.

She pressed the button that lit up the sign once again.

"and we are back, so we are about to wrap up the show tonight I do believe my lovely assistant has me two callers left so let's go ahead and get this ball a rolling."

Sabrina transfers the call to Harper, and holds up a piece of paper: "Clyde"

"hello, Clyde what can I do for you tonight" Harper took a sip from her cup as she asked.

The line was silent at first and then a gravelly voice came through the speakers.

"I need to confess..."

Harper shot a glance toward Sabrina and Joshua.

"okay, usually we only do confessions on Tuesday, but I guess we can break the rules a little bit, so what do you need to confess?" Harper brushed her chestnut hair out of her face.

The silence grew longer between each pause, and finally he said it...

"a murder...actually three"

"I'm sorry, did you... say murder?" Harper stiffened in her seat.

Sabrina looked to Joshua in confused. Harper was uneasy.

"who...who did you murder?" Harper's voice stuttered as she wrote a note on a piece of paper and held it up to the window: "911?"

Joshua shook his head.

"no one yet..." the man whispered, "...but soon"

Harper ended the call thinking it was a prank.

Harper glanced at Joshua, "what the hell was that?"

He shrugged and he got up to head outside for another cigarette.

The phone rang again, and Sabrina answered it and her face went white.

She looked at Harper terrified, she mouthed the words:

"it's Him"

Harper picked up the phone call again,

"okay buddy, this is a funny joke but..."

"one..." the voice cut her off, "one now."

Sabrina heard the door buzz.

Harper turned to look at the caller id, but it was unavailable, just then the room went black.

Sabrina screamed and turned to run inside the studio with Harper but was grabbed in the darkness.

Just then Harper's cell phone rang...

She picked it up and answered the call,

"hello?" she asked.

"two..." the voice replied. She threw her phone against the window and ran for the door, she pulled open the door to the office only to see Sabrina face down on the floor in a pool of blood. The room was dark except for the moonlight creeping in from the cracked door where Joshua's body was being used as a door stop to prop the door open...

Harper screamed in horror as she could barely make out a shape in the darkness, she turned around and ran back into the studio, she propped a chair up against the handle.

she began to feel around on the ground looking for her phone, she jumped up and grabbed her microphone and slammed her fist into the button, the sign lit up, "on air"

ever since the bad storms last year Joshua had the broadcasting equipment backed up to a generator. She began to try and call for help.

"someone please I am being attacked..." her voice trailed off as she heard the creak of the studio door slowly push open and a man's voice said a single word,

"three."