Ever have one of those days where your favourite music is annoying and you just want to hear something else? I had one of those days a few months back. I was really tired and the Top 40 stations I usually listen to were just grating on my nerves, so I tried my other saved stations. Country? No. Rock? No. Nothing was good, but I had a long drive ahead of me and I didn’t want to sit there in silence.
So I decided to hit the Seek button until I found something I liked. Static. Static. Classical. Static. Static. French. Static. Static. Sports. Static. Static. Mid-2000’s. I stopped. I like mid 2000’s stuff. I hadn’t realized there was a station like that in my city. I looked at the radio. 107.9 FM. I didn’t think there were stations up that high, but I shrugged it off because Seven Nation Army by the White Stripes started playing.
And boy, did I fall in love with that station. 107 The Beat it was called. Not the best name, but whatever. They played all the stuff I used to love as a kid from the late 90’s through the early 2000’s. Fall Out Boy, Coldplay, Shakira, and a whole bunch of pop from that time. A real nostalgia station for me. And the personalities were great! The Tommy and Cherise Morning Show (which was a little cheesy, but what morning show isn’t?), Susan in the Afternoon, Late Night Jams with Tony Smooth. I loved them all. The Beat quickly became my new favourite station. I listened to it every day to and from school, and even in the shower.
About a month later I was giving my friends, Bill and Anna, a ride to the mall. I asked them if they ever listened to The Beat. They looked at each other, confused. So I switched to 107.9. One Week by the Barenaked Ladies was playing. I love that song! So I started singing along. About 20 seconds later, I noticed my friends were completely silent.
"Why aren’t you guys singing along?"
Bill was looking at me like I had grown a machine gun from my forehead.
"To what?"
"To the music!" What the hell was he talking about?
"What music?" asked Anna.
"On the radio! Are you guys deaf or something?"
The two of them looked at each other. “It’s just static.”
It was then that I realized that they must be messing with me. We liked to play pranks on each other, and I could tell when these two were up to something. “Very funny guys.”
"We’re not kidding, there’s nothing but static."
"Alright, knock it off. You got me for a second." Don’t Speak by No Doubt started playing.
"It’s not a joke, Dom. There’s no music and you’re starting to freak me out." I’ll admit, I didn’t think they could act this well. Bill looked worried and Anna looked legitimately scared. They must have planned this. Had I mentioned the station before?
"OK, that’s enough. I like this song and you guys are starting to piss me off."
"What song? There is no song! Dom, cut it out it’s not funny!"
At this point I was past annoyed. I was having one of those days where everything pisses you off, and I was not in the mood for their antics. I do my best to act positive around my friends, but when I’m in a bad mood it doesn’t take much to set me off. “Cut the shit or I’ll pull over and you guys can walk.”
"What?" Bill was shocked.
"You heard me. It was funny at first, but I’m getting really annoyed. If you’re not going to stop this bullshit, then you can walk to the mall." They just stared at me.
"But we’re serious!"
That was it. I pulled into the nearest parking lot and threw the car in park. “Get out. Now.”
Anne quickly got out, but Bill hesitated before closing the door. “What the fuck is your prob-“
I hit the gas and the door flew shut. I was so annoyed. I headed home and called my girlfriend, April, to see if she wanted to come over. I was too angry to cook, so I just ordered a pizza. April was at my apartment within a half hour. She asked me why I was so upset. I told her the story.
"The Beat? I’ve never heard of it."
So I grabbed my radio from my room and tuned it to 107.9. Bring Me To Life by Evanescence was playing. April suddenly looked concerned.
"I don’t hear anything."
Great so they had roped her into their stupid trick. This was pretty low for them.
"Not you too! Come on, I’m sick of this bullshit!"
"I’m serious! It’s just static! Look, I’ll even look up the station."
"Fine, do it!" Was she serious? How would looking it up help the gag? She pulled out her phone and typed in the station. Her face drained of colour. "What is it?"
She handed me the phone. The first result was a news story from 2004, and the headline made my blood run cold.
"Seven dead after fire that destroyed local radio station"
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Credits to: photofreecreepypasta
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