It was supposed to be just another urban legend, a story whispered among college students for a cheap thrill. Sarah Daniels, a journalism major with a knack for debunking myths, heard about it during a late-night study session. "The Forgotten Tape," they called it—an old VHS tape rumored to kill anyone who watched it within seven days. Unlike most people who dismissed it as a hoax, Sarah saw an opportunity to dig deeper.
Her curiosity led her to a small, decrepit video rental store on the outskirts of town, a place long forgotten by the modern world. The owner, an old man with clouded eyes, handed her a dusty VHS tape without a word when she mentioned the legend. The label was worn and faded, the title unreadable.
As soon as she returned to her apartment, Sarah hooked up her old VHS player, a relic from her childhood. Her roommate, Lisa, laughed when she saw the tape. "You're really going through with this?"
"Of course," Sarah replied, grinning. "I'll prove it's just another stupid story."
They watched as the screen flickered to life. The images were disjointed and surreal—flashes of shadowy figures, a dark forest, and an old well, its edges crumbling with age. The most unsettling part was the low, whispering voices, almost too faint to hear but filled with malice.
As the tape ended, the TV screen went black. Lisa shivered. "Well, that was creepy."
"Exactly what you'd expect from a bad horror movie," Sarah scoffed. "It's just a bunch of random images meant to scare you."
But that night, Sarah began hearing whispers in her apartment. At first, she thought it was her imagination, but the voices grew louder, their tone more insistent. The words were unintelligible, but they filled her with dread.
When she told Lisa the next morning, her roommate looked pale. "I heard them too, Sarah. This isn't just some prank."
---
Over the next few days, strange things began happening. The TV would turn on by itself, always showing the same grainy images from the tape. Lights flickered, and shadows moved in the corners of their vision, never fully forming but always there, just out of reach.
On the fourth day, Lisa woke up screaming. When Sarah rushed to her side, she found her friend curled up in a ball, shaking uncontrollably. "I saw her, Sarah! The girl from the tape! She was in my room, just standing there, watching me."
Sarah tried to calm Lisa down, but the fear had taken root deep within them both. They knew this was no longer just a myth—it was real.
Desperate for answers, Sarah began researching the tape's origins. She discovered that it was linked to a tragic story from decades ago. A girl named Emily had been abandoned by her parents and left to die in the forest. Her body was never found, but her spirit was said to have merged with the darkness, seeking revenge on anyone who dared disturb her resting place.
By the sixth day, Sarah could barely sleep. The whispers had grown louder, now accompanied by the sound of water dripping and the creaking of old wood. Lisa had become withdrawn, her eyes hollow, as if the life had been drained from her.
That night, Sarah woke to find Lisa missing. The front door was wide open, and the air outside was unnaturally cold. Following a trail of wet footprints, she found Lisa standing at the edge of a nearby lake, her eyes fixed on the dark water.
"Lisa, what are you doing?" Sarah called out, but Lisa didn't respond.
Before Sarah could reach her, Lisa stepped into the water and disappeared beneath the surface. Panicked, Sarah dove in after her, but it was too late. Lisa was gone, leaving only ripples in the water and a deep, unshakable terror in Sarah's heart.
---
Alone and terrified, Sarah knew she had only one day left. The whispers had become deafening, the images on the TV more vivid and disturbing. She saw the well from the tape over and over, the camera slowly descending into its depths until all that remained was darkness.
In a final attempt to break the curse, Sarah returned to the video rental store. The old man was waiting for her, his eyes even more clouded than before. "You watched it, didn't you?" he asked, his voice a raspy whisper.
"How do I stop this?" Sarah demanded, desperation in her voice.
"You can't stop it," he replied. "But you can pass it on."
He handed her another tape, identical to the first. "Make someone else watch it. It's the only way."
Sarah recoiled in horror. "I can't do that. I won't condemn someone else to this fate!"
The old man shrugged. "Then prepare to meet her. She comes for those who refuse."
Sarah fled the store, the tape clutched in her hands. Back at her apartment, she found the TV on again, the images more horrifying than ever. The well, the girl’s pale face, the darkness that seemed to swallow everything.
She knew what she had to do.
---
The seventh day dawned, gray and cold. Sarah was exhausted, her mind fraying at the edges. The whispers were now constant, filling her head with dark thoughts.
That evening, as she sat in front of the TV, the screen flickered and went black. Then, the well appeared, the camera slowly moving closer to its edge. Sarah’s heart raced as she watched, unable to tear her eyes away.
Suddenly, the screen crackled, and the girl from the tape—Emily—began to climb out of the well. Her movements were jerky and unnatural, her wet hair hanging in front of her face. As she crawled closer, Sarah could feel the room growing colder.
Emily reached the edge of the screen, her hand pressing against the glass. Then, with a final burst of static, she crawled out of the TV and into the room.
Sarah screamed, backing away, but there was nowhere to go. Emily’s face was hidden behind her hair, but Sarah could feel her eyes—cold, empty, and filled with hatred.
"I’m sorry!" Sarah cried. "I’m so sorry!"
But it was too late. Emily reached out and touched Sarah’s face. The cold was unbearable, like death itself. Sarah’s vision blurred, her body growing numb.
As the darkness closed in, the last thing Sarah heard was Emily’s whisper: "It’s your turn."
---
A week later, the police found Sarah’s body in her apartment. The cause of death was listed as unknown, but her face was frozen in a mask of terror.
The cursed tape was never found.
But in a small, forgotten video rental store, an old man with clouded eyes placed another dusty VHS tape on the shelf, waiting for the next curious soul to take it home.
