Fearful: Scary Stories of the Cursed Filter

Blackness. 

“Do you know why you’re here?”

Someone snaps off a camera body cap, and a lens whirs, zooming in and out. The autofocus struggles with the sudden bright light.

“To get a tan?” A girl sitting under a swelling water balloon (hanging by a thread from a showerhead) tries to shield her eyes with her hand, but she’s tied to a chair. “Is this really necessary?”

As a red dot blinks next to the word ‘REC’ in the top right corner, the image finally comes into focus: an empty school gym bathroom at night. Even on video, it’s almost possible to smell the mold, mildew, and a tinge of yesterday’s sweat.

“I’ll do the questioning,” another girl says off-camera. “You’ll do the answering.”

“But like twenty questions or—”

“You think you’re funny?”

“Kinda have to.”

“Any clue who you’re pissing off?”

The tied girl looks to the left for an instant. “Cassie, right?”

“My prisoners call me C.J.”

“What’s with the old-timey camera, C.J.?”

“I don’t trust phones.”

“Why?”

C.J. points her super-powerful LED flashlight closer to the girl. “What did I just say about this interrogation?”

“Right, right.”

“So, why are you here?”

The video gets out of focus for a second.

“Because of what I’m about to do!” The tied girl bares her teeth like a wild animal and moves her torso to get free from the ropes. “Grr … Argh!” A pause. “Did I scare you?” After a long silence, she drops her head, disappointed. “I guess it doesn’t work without it.”

“Look, you gotta tell me where it is,” C.J. says. “Lives are in danger.”

The girl sighs. “Fine.”

“Please, state your name and age for the recording.”

Looking deadly serious for the first time since the interrogation started, she stares into the camera. “I’m Lily Andrews, and this is my scary story.”