The Baby Monitor.

High school idiots play horrible jokes on parents to be, but will their karma catch up with them?

My senior year was a major wake up call. My boyfriend and his friend were like any other teenage delinquents, they played horrible pranks on people. They did not vandalize things, they did not deal or do drugs, and they certainly did not bully kids in school. They “hacked” baby monitors of new parents and scared the living daylights out of them. They thought they were so fantastic at it, that they would never get caught. I never went out and did it with them just to do it. I did not think it was humorous like they did, I thought it was a horrible thing to do.

We hung out with his friend a lot after school, we never had alone time. But it was alright because his face was always happy when we hung out with his friend. We would watch very graphic horror movies, we would watch hilarious pranks, and we told each other scary stories. Jacob, my boyfriend’s friend told us a story about a single mother who heard a haunting voice on her baby monitor. I saw Dimitri’s eyes light up, and he shouted “JACOB LET'S DO THAT!” His voice echoed as if he were yelling in a cave. It was the dumbest thing he wanted to do. But of course Jacob went along with it. Apparently, you can be on the same frequency as another monitor. Dimitri bought a very expensive high end baby monitor that had a frequency dial so they could prank a lot of parents.  

That night Dimitri and I yelled at each other about the whole pranking new parents. I filled his head with my high pitched scream, and you could tell he was not listening. My bickering went in one of his ears and out the other. So I decided to give up and let him win. Dimitri and Jacob left that night on their bikes, they found they first victim. They could see the nursery from the home’s second floor window. Dimitri messed with the frequency dial until they found one that they could hear breathing on. They felt excited as the prank was coming together. Jacob wanted to do it first, so he sntached the montior from Dimitri’s hand. He began breathing very heavily, and he finally murmured with a heavy demonic voice “Your little girl….was….delicious.”

They heard a high pitched shriek and the master bedroom’s light quickly turned on. Their laughter bursted out of them like water bursting from a dam. Grabbing their bikes they quickly rode away, not wanting to get caught. They did the prank a lot over the next few weeks. Choosing different houses each time, so they would not get caught. The parent’s reactions were priceless; some people would reply in terror, some people knew it was a prank and told was to shut up; and one woman sobbed uncontrollably begging us not to hurt her baby boy. The woman’s reaction made me very upset when Dimitri told me.

Dimitri always ragged on me for not going with them to do it, he said I was boring. One day Dimitri and Jacob were studying for their midterms and I decided what the heck I’ll go out by myself and prank somebody. I did not want Dimitri telling me that I was boring anymore. After I told Dimitri what I was doing his face was very surprised and he cheered me on.  He told me to go across town, they had not prank that part of town yet, he wanted me to be the first one to.  I took the monitor and Dimitri’s bike. I rode the bike across town, the entire ride my heart was pounding out of my chest. What was I doing? Why do I care if he thinks I am boring? But that didn’t stop me, I kept going and wanted to do it. The more I thought about doing it and feeling the rush flow through my body like rushing water. I wanted to do it now for me. Only me. I picked my house, there was a blue mini van parked very cockeyed in the driveway. In the van there was a booster seat and a car seat, the front yard was filled with children toys.

I turned the monitor's knob to find the right frequency. I started to hear heavy breathing, and I assumed it was the babies. In a creepy eery satanic whisper I said “I...am...watching..”

The house remained dark and lifeless. I figured the parents had not heard my wimpy girl whisper.

“...I...stand...over your bed...watching..waiting..I will get you…” I said louder this time.

Nothing. The only thing I heard was the chirping of the crickets and sometimes the wind off a passing car. I thought it was a bit strange that the parents didn’t react to it, or even hear me at the matter. I thought parents would quickly respond to it. I felt a little uneasy and nervous. I didn’t put too much more thought into it, I had a long bike ride back home. I decided it was time to leave and I would just make some fake story up. But right as I picked up my bike, the breathing from the monitor stopped. I wasn’t sure what was going on, maybe I was on the wrong frequency.

I thought nothing of it, but then a man spoke to me. His voice sent shivers up my spine, “You are the one….being….watched now...Sarah.” It was a soft voice but very horrifying.

My stomach dropped, how did he know my name? I felt sick, like I was going to vomit. Something was wrong, very wrong...I could feel it in my bones. I looked up to the second story window only to see,  a tall silhouette standing there,  watching.  Was he there the whole time?  The air was thick and hard to inhale, though maybe my fear was making it hard to breath.  My body was quivering uncontrollably,  a sense of dread filled every inch of my body.  

I picked up my bike, swung my leg over the seat and pedaled desperately to get away.  I knew I was probably overreacting, but there was an overwhelming need to flee.  

“You...can't run...I know where you live Sarah.” the man continued, even as I turned the corner.  

I pedaled as fast as I could, only stopping on a busy boulevard.  I was surrounded by cars and joggers, I felt safe.  

“...Your hoodie will run red with your blood. “ Whispered the man,  still talking to me through the monitor.  

I yelped in fear, it made a jogger jump and flash me a nasty look. My body was hot,  it felt like the sun was pounding down on me.  Although the sun was gone and the moon was out.  I took my sweatshirt off and stuffed it inside my backpack.  As I was stuffing my sweatshirt, I noticed my name was on the back of it.  How could I be so stupid?

It then dawned on me that the monitor was short ranged, so I was being followed. I didn’t want to hear the voice again, I switched the monitor off and pedalled fast towards home. Fear had heightened my senses. I began noticing every motion of the trees in the breeze, every crackle of twigs and leafs under my wheels, and every car that zipped past me. I made it home without hearing that voice again.

I threw the bike down into the front yard, I crawled up the stairs to my bedroom. In one careless motion I tossed my backpack and sweatshirt into the corner of my room. I dove under my sheets, I felt safe again. Like a scared child felt when they got under their sheets. I closed my eyes hoping I could just forget this night. But then a static noise was coming from the monitor, that was supposed to be off.

“Sweet dreams, Sarah.” the voice said.

I couldn’t sleep at all, I tried and tried but that voice kept flooding my head. When the sun rose, I jumped out of bed and threw the monitor away. It wasn’t until a few days later when I saw the house on the news. The police officer, explained that the small family that had been living there were found in their beds with their necks slit open. I was outside when it happened. The killer must have heard me and decided to mess with me. I was shocked. But I was too busy feeling thankful that I survived to feel bad about the family that had not.

Now that I have a husband and a daughter, I truly understand the consequences of my action. That dreadful night I thought reached my maximum fear level, but that night was just the tip of the iceberg.

I can’t say for sure that the killer found me after all these years, or if a new breed of idiots had the same idea as Dimitri. But I can tell you that I truly understand what true terror was. Last night, I heard a spine chilling voice on my daughter’s baby monitor.

“I’m….still…..watching…”