The Strangest Security Tape I've Ever Seen

The Strangest Security Tape I’ve Ever Seen

The address Jeremy listed on his application was an empty lot. Or at least now it is. There used to be a house there, but it burned down in 1993. Being a small town, almost everyone remembers that fire. A family of four used to live there way back when. Rumor has it that they had an estranged son who they never really talked about, but I can’t say for sure if that’s true. What I can say is true is that after an insurance investigation, the fire was ruled an arson. The entire house was soaked in oil and torched with a Molotov cocktail. The entire family was sleeping when it happened; none of them survived.

They never caught the guy who did it. Rumor has it that when they tried to contact the estranged son, no one could find him.

Anyway, my boss called and told me this, and I freaked out. Then he asked me to come to the gas station. “What are you, crazy?” I said, but he assured me that the cops were there with him. Then he dropped a bomb: the FBI were also in town and they were going to talk to me one way or another, so I might as well come in. It was about 7:15, and I wanted to go back to bed, but I figured I wouldn’t be able to sleep much more anyway, so I went down.

Four men in suits greeted me and told me to have a seat. We went over everything two or three times until they got all the details down. I told them about Jeremy, the security tape, last night at work. Everything. Finally, after I finished, one of the agents said, “Oh Christ, we’ve got another one on our hands.” Then they made me sign a bunch of papers saying I wouldn’t tell anyone about what happened, so I can’t say much more. I might be breaking the law just by posting this.

So now I’m home. I’m not sure what to do with myself. That agent’s words when I told him the story are going to haunt me for the rest of my life.

Anyway, I’ve got to go. I have some errands to run today, and then I have to go in to work to pick up some tapes. My boss and I think this new guy Jeremy (he’s a complete creep) is stealing motor oil and I have to watch the security footage to see if I can catch him doing it. I have better things to do, but my boss is paying me overtime, under-the-table, and I’m trying to save up for vacation so I could really use the money. It should be pretty simple; the oil always goes missing right after his shifts. I figure I’ll just watch the tapes, catch him in the act, and that will be that. Thought Catalog Logo Mark

Phil Zona resides in New Jersey, but he left his mind in Pittsburgh, PA. He investigates car accidents by day and writes fiction by night. As a longtime nosleep contributor, he’s constantly working on his craft, and hopes to strike fear in the hearts of his readers for years to come.

Keep up with Phil on Twitter