Do Not Refresh

I eagerly waited for 7:00 pm to roll around - my favorite time of day. I logged into my PC, pulled up YouTube, and brought up the channel. At precisely this hour, my favorite live stream was coming on. This live stream channel focused solely on urban legends and hauntings many of which I've never heard of which made the show even more exciting. They came on once a week on a Friday at 7 pm and I never missed an episode.

6:59 pm ...

7:00 pm

Good evening! Thank you for joining us! We have a really exciting episode this evening! Tonight we're going to be diving into the urban legend of ...

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The video glitched in and out. My eyes remained glued to the screen as I waited patiently for the live stream to return. I wasn't too concerned. It would buffer for a few seconds and then it would come back and I wouldn't have any video quality issues for the remainder of the episode. Besides, this happened before. Not just with this live stream but with any of the others I've watched.

It probably wouldn't hurt to do a quick PC update. The idea passed through my mind. I acknowledged it but brushed it off. I'll update my PC after the live stream.

7:05 pm

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My PC continued to buffer with no sign of the live stream returning.

I refreshed the browser, growing more anxious as the seconds passed. Each episode was only for 45 minutes.

I had no idea what urban legend they were talking about and worse, whatever it was, I was missing it!

I refreshed the page again as if that would do any good.

Drumming my fingers anxiously on the desk, my gaze held locked on the screen. For the hell of it, I refreshed the page again. After all, what did I have to lose?

A slight crackling sound like static emitted from my speakers. It was so faint, I wondered if it was my imagination, the sort of sound you can only hear internally.

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My heart caught in my throat as a loud grating squelch of static emitted from my speakers. Next, the screen went black for a split second - a split second that felt like an agonizing eternity.

And then, there was stillness but it was a stillness without the sense of calm. The kind of stillness you feel when you suddenly realize you might not be alone.

The grating squelch emitted from my speakers once more as the live stream came back to live.

A deep, grateful sigh of relief fell over me, but it was short lived.

This wasn't the right live stream.

My eyes darted wildly at the live stream in front of me.

It was a grainy video of a dark room. The video gave off a strange green hue like it was being live streamed with a night vision camera. As my eyes adjusted, I realized it looked like a basement. There was nothing in this basement except for an empty metal chair of which the live stream solely focused on.

I didn't know what the hell this was!

Had I clicked this video by mistake? No. Not possible.

I hurried to close out of the bizarre live stream but it refused to close. I clicked to close out of the browser again, this time clicking rapidly. It was as though the screen had frozen.

What was the point of this video anyway. There was not a soul there. Just a metal chair.

7:12 pm

I was beginning to accept the reality that I was going to miss my favorite live stream. While I was clearly disappointed, a strong feeling of unease overpowered all other emotions.

I shouldn't be watching this live stream. I should probably close out of it.

I refreshed the browser but nothing happened.

I refreshed it again, over and over.

I couldn't get out of it.

What the hell!

Another squelch emitted from my speakers only this time in between the squelches, was a distorted voice.

I couldn't make out what it was saying. I can't even say I recognized the language but the way the rhythm of the voice was, it felt chilling. Like a chant. Like the voice was trying to summon something.

For a split second, the live stream I had been waiting for appeared on the screen before the dark basement with the empty chair took over the screen again.

7:21

I hit refresh like I was mad, but the distorted chanting only continued to come through the speakers. It had to be my imagination, but I swore the chants were growing louder.

As a last resort and out of total fear, I yanked the power cord, killing off the power supply to my PC. That would end everything. I'd restart my computer, the live stream would be gone, and everything would be okay. Relief fell over me as I fell back into my seat.

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The relief did not last long. The chanting was still coming from the speaker.