I was alone, studying the box from across the room. Déjà vu. Shit, in the last few hours, I keep repeating this, only each additional time I catch myself lost in a daze, staring at this cube that could be the bane of my existence, my apartment and my sanity are a little more destroyed.
The kid's show that was airing on the television got rudely interrupted by an emergency broadcast system test. That annoying flatline tone mixed with the static from someone's personal Hell is a recipe for crying wolf. I'm probably the only person that somewhat pays attention to them, and actually WATCHES the 1985 Commodore 64 font-trains racing across the screen, competing with each other as to which line is more important. The big flashing one that reads "THIS IS ONLY A TEST" always wins over the others. I can't imagine anyone reacting to these in the slim chance that it were NOT a test. The broadcast would have to be louder, flashier, and scarier, which I doubt can happen without some really good creativity over in the Emergency Graphics Department.
"***THIS IS ONLY A TEST ***"
What I noticed about this test, however, was that it was longer. Not by too much. Just enough to notice. It looked like it WANTED to end, but it kept going. The words disappeared from the screen, leaving only a blank black screen, with the usual constant sound of a dying siren continuing on. Then, the siren noise was cut off by a seemingly panicked, gargled computerized voice. A voice that would ooze out of a broken Speak N' Spell that had been abandoned in a toy box for years.
"This is a required weekly test of the emergency broadcast encoding and alarm system. This is only–"
The voice was cut off and an extremely crude graphic quickly blinked on the screen twice depicting what I can only describe as a face (?). I mean, I think it had eyes, and maybe a mouth. I don't know, it was too quick. But it didn't belong in the middle of that broadcast, despite its ancient 8-bit graphic design. The closest thing I could compare it to is the blinking pumpkin in the opening credits of Halloween 3. Yah, THAT Halloween 3, the one that had to do with a corporation of alien mask-makers taking over the world by hypnosis, and NOTHING to do with Michael Myers. Fucking awesome movie, though. After this graphic flashed on the screen twice, the screen blackened again and the voice continued.
"a test. If this had been an actual alert, this message would contain specific information on the actual warning being issued. This concludes the weekly test of the emergency broadcast system. Don't let them get the box. They won't know what to do with it. Run."
The broadcast shut off and the the large hammer-headed mascot from the kid's show filled the screen and finished his rendition of "Dem Bones" while confetti furnished his set.
"Fuck…"
In the last 4 or 5 hours I have developed a new skill called "Don't question SHIT", which came into play right now.
I picked up the box, and I headed to my front door…to run.