Snap—
Click!
Ruth clicked the top button on her new Canon camera and it snapped a picture of the lion. She looked down and smiled at the lion standing tall and proud in the photo. She continued to walk down the path to visit the bird section in the zoo. A blue toucan perched on a branch stared intently at her. Ruth decided that it would be great to take a picture of this toucan and show it to her friends.
Snap—
Click!
This was the 18th picture Ruth had taken today with her camera, but when Ruth looked at the storage space, it wrote: “34/1000 spaces left.” She scratched her head, confused, and decided it was a glitch, so she walked on with a skip in her step.
“Ma’am, would you like to get a picture with this green bird we have here?” The man standing in front of a small stand gestured to a beautiful green bird.
“Sorry, sir. I don’t like being in photos, or having my photo taken. Thank you though!” Ruth dipped her head down slightly, thanking the man. She turned around and continued walking down the dirt path.
Snap—
Click!
Ruth stopped mid-step, brows furrowed together. She didn’t click the shutter button. I must be imagining things today. She laughed it off. She started to walk again, shook her head, this time a faster pace in her step, shoulders hunched, thumbs twiddling.
Snap—
Click!
This time, she was sure she wasn’t just imagining the sound, and she knew for a fact that she hadn’t pressed the shutter button. The camera hung around her neck, the lens facing outward. She took a deep breath and held up her camera again. She looked through the photos and noticed that the camera seemed to have taken pictures of people and animals on its own. Huh, that’s weird. Maybe a glitch? She saw that the photo counter indicated 49/1000 spaces left. What was going on?
Ruth bit her lip, worried that her brand new camera would now be malfunctioning. She looked up, away from her camera’s screen, and was surprised to see that there was no one in her vicinity. The zoo was usually a busy, crowded place, and it was strange to see it so empty. She turned back to look at the green bird and what she saw caused her to scream, pure terror escaping from her throat.
The man from before was lying on the ground, eyes bulging out of his sockets, mouth foaming with pink bubbles, and blood leaking out of his ears. A green feather had settled on his chest. His hands were an unusual shade of white and most importantly, he wasn’t moving at all.
Wait, hang on, when I was looking through my photos, there was a picture of this man, but the thing is, I didn’t take a picture of him! At this point, Ruth was in pure panic. She ran back down the path, searching for help. But as she ran, her heart stopped cold.
Everywhere she looked, people were dead, lying in piles on the ground.
It couldn’t be true! she thought. Was it possible that the camera was responsible for that man’s death?
Snap-
Click!
This time Ruth watched in shock as the camera tilted on its own, angling it’s black eye toward a little girl, not more than five, who was standing, and took a picture of her. The shutter clicked, and the little girl froze completely. Her head swung back and forth for a moment, then Ruth gasped as she saw the little girl’s neck snap backward at an odd angle. The head swung from the stump of her neck, hanging on only by a tendon. Blood gushed from the freshly opened wound, and her fractured spine jutted into the air. Ruth sobbed... She lifted her hands to take the camera off and smash it into the ground, but it just wouldn’t budge.
She panicked, breath quickening, heart pounding louder and faster. She chewed her nails, until she felt a sharp sting. She jumped and realized that her thumb was now bleeding. She wiped the blood onto her white blouse, and it left behind a streak of red. Why is this happening? And to me of all people! Her whole body was shaking with fear. What should I do? I can’t do anything! She knew she shouldn’t put her hand in front of the camera to block the lens, it might break her hand, or even worse, kill her instantly. Just when she thought things couldn't get any worse, the camera tugged on her neck, forcing her to follow. It dragged her all the way, deeper into the zoo, and into the women’s restroom.
She tried, with all her might, to go against the camera, but to no avail. Ruth dug her heels into the off-white and pale yellow tiles, trying to stop. Her camera tugged on her neck again, pulling her over to the slightly cracked mirror. She stared unblinkingly at her own reflection, the blood on her blouse, her hair disheveled from sweat and being ruffled in distress, her fingers a bit bloodied and bruised, and her face tear-streaked without her even realizing she had cried. She massaged her neck, sore from earlier, red from being rubbed with the leather strap.
She gasped in shock and watched the camera hover right below her chin. This couldn’t be happening! But indeed it was. Her mind raced over all the images she’d seen today: all the pictures she’d taken, all the pictures the camera had taken. She desperately searched for an escape, but the black eye of the camera stared back at her in the mirror, and before she could lift a hand, she heard a familiar sound…
Snap-
Click!
Click!
Ruth clicked the top button on her new Canon camera and it snapped a picture of the lion. She looked down and smiled at the lion standing tall and proud in the photo. She continued to walk down the path to visit the bird section in the zoo. A blue toucan perched on a branch stared intently at her. Ruth decided that it would be great to take a picture of this toucan and show it to her friends.
Snap—
Click!
This was the 18th picture Ruth had taken today with her camera, but when Ruth looked at the storage space, it wrote: “34/1000 spaces left.” She scratched her head, confused, and decided it was a glitch, so she walked on with a skip in her step.
“Ma’am, would you like to get a picture with this green bird we have here?” The man standing in front of a small stand gestured to a beautiful green bird.
“Sorry, sir. I don’t like being in photos, or having my photo taken. Thank you though!” Ruth dipped her head down slightly, thanking the man. She turned around and continued walking down the dirt path.
Snap—
Click!
Ruth stopped mid-step, brows furrowed together. She didn’t click the shutter button. I must be imagining things today. She laughed it off. She started to walk again, shook her head, this time a faster pace in her step, shoulders hunched, thumbs twiddling.
Snap—
Click!
This time, she was sure she wasn’t just imagining the sound, and she knew for a fact that she hadn’t pressed the shutter button. The camera hung around her neck, the lens facing outward. She took a deep breath and held up her camera again. She looked through the photos and noticed that the camera seemed to have taken pictures of people and animals on its own. Huh, that’s weird. Maybe a glitch? She saw that the photo counter indicated 49/1000 spaces left. What was going on?
Ruth bit her lip, worried that her brand new camera would now be malfunctioning. She looked up, away from her camera’s screen, and was surprised to see that there was no one in her vicinity. The zoo was usually a busy, crowded place, and it was strange to see it so empty. She turned back to look at the green bird and what she saw caused her to scream, pure terror escaping from her throat.
The man from before was lying on the ground, eyes bulging out of his sockets, mouth foaming with pink bubbles, and blood leaking out of his ears. A green feather had settled on his chest. His hands were an unusual shade of white and most importantly, he wasn’t moving at all.
Wait, hang on, when I was looking through my photos, there was a picture of this man, but the thing is, I didn’t take a picture of him! At this point, Ruth was in pure panic. She ran back down the path, searching for help. But as she ran, her heart stopped cold.
Everywhere she looked, people were dead, lying in piles on the ground.
It couldn’t be true! she thought. Was it possible that the camera was responsible for that man’s death?
Snap-
Click!
This time Ruth watched in shock as the camera tilted on its own, angling it’s black eye toward a little girl, not more than five, who was standing, and took a picture of her. The shutter clicked, and the little girl froze completely. Her head swung back and forth for a moment, then Ruth gasped as she saw the little girl’s neck snap backward at an odd angle. The head swung from the stump of her neck, hanging on only by a tendon. Blood gushed from the freshly opened wound, and her fractured spine jutted into the air. Ruth sobbed... She lifted her hands to take the camera off and smash it into the ground, but it just wouldn’t budge.
She panicked, breath quickening, heart pounding louder and faster. She chewed her nails, until she felt a sharp sting. She jumped and realized that her thumb was now bleeding. She wiped the blood onto her white blouse, and it left behind a streak of red. Why is this happening? And to me of all people! Her whole body was shaking with fear. What should I do? I can’t do anything! She knew she shouldn’t put her hand in front of the camera to block the lens, it might break her hand, or even worse, kill her instantly. Just when she thought things couldn't get any worse, the camera tugged on her neck, forcing her to follow. It dragged her all the way, deeper into the zoo, and into the women’s restroom.
She tried, with all her might, to go against the camera, but to no avail. Ruth dug her heels into the off-white and pale yellow tiles, trying to stop. Her camera tugged on her neck again, pulling her over to the slightly cracked mirror. She stared unblinkingly at her own reflection, the blood on her blouse, her hair disheveled from sweat and being ruffled in distress, her fingers a bit bloodied and bruised, and her face tear-streaked without her even realizing she had cried. She massaged her neck, sore from earlier, red from being rubbed with the leather strap.
She gasped in shock and watched the camera hover right below her chin. This couldn’t be happening! But indeed it was. Her mind raced over all the images she’d seen today: all the pictures she’d taken, all the pictures the camera had taken. She desperately searched for an escape, but the black eye of the camera stared back at her in the mirror, and before she could lift a hand, she heard a familiar sound…
Snap-
Click!
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