Unexposed

Jenna grinned as she got out of her car in front of her new house and whispered”finally” as a sense of relief washed over her. She was 30 yrs old with long brown hair she kept tied back, deep brown eyes with a slender frame. She was dressed up in a worn pair of jeans and a simple sweater and excited over starting a new page in her life. The divorce had been difficult and she needed to get away from all the talk and rumors that haunted her on a daily basis and now she was in a place where no one knew her name or her past. It was going to be the perfect place to find herself and she could also focus more on her hobbies which was collecting old and vintage art but mostly cameras. She had always wanted to be a photographer but her previous life never allowed her the time for it. 

She opened the back of the U-haul and began to unpack her life one piece at a time from box after box, to the bedroom suite, a couch, some books as well has her collection of cameras and artwork she had already accumulated. Painstakingly she placed each item in her living room, kitchen and bedroom, finding just the perfect spot for everything. Then she made herself a cup of coffee in the espresso machine she had talked herself into buying on the trip and sat on the couch pleased with how things were starting to turn out. She barely left the house for the first few days, wanting to get as much work done as possible plus she planned on ordering in food till she felt ready to explore the town. On her third day she was in the front yard standing near the road admiring the front of the house wondering how to spruce it up when she saw the mail carrier stop by her mail box and slip a small card inside. He waved at her before continuing on his way and she waved back then was curious if it was some kind of flyer or a welcome of sorts because she was new. She strolled to the mail box and reached inside, pulling out what looked like a card from the post office and for a brief second she thought maybe it was for the previous tenants then she looked closer reading her name and the address of her new place stating she had a package to pick up at the post office. Her curiosity being peaked, she unhooked the trailer from her car, got into the driver’s seat, backed out of the driveway and headed into town in search of the post office with the card laying on the seat next to her. It wasn't that difficult to find since the town was rather small and she parked outside and got out, the air brisk but refreshing as she walked up to the front door and pulled it open, the little bell ringing above it.

“I will be with you in a moment” a voice spoke up as she approached the counter so she casually glanced around at the quaint little room and waited. A few minutes later an older woman  who appeared to be in her 50’s with hair pulled into a bun and wearing horn rimmed glasses appeared from out of the back room.” How can I help you today?” She looked at Jenna and offered her a small smile. Jenna held out the card to her and said” I received this in my mail box today and I have not even had the chance to change my address on my mail yet but I did manage to get a temporary paper for my license to prove my address if that will help.” She opened her wallet and pulled out her ID, setting it on the counter. The woman behind the counter nodded, picked it up to look at it and compared it to the card before she disappeared into the back room and returned again with a small box neatly wrapped in shipping paper. Jenna looked it over carefully, noticing it had no return address.” I found it on the counter yesterday morning when I came out from sorting mail so I do not know who left it, perhaps you have a secret admirer already.”She offered a warm smile and Jenna relaxed “ Perhaps” she chuckled before saying thank you and heading out the front door and to her car. She set the package on the seat next to her and studied it as she glanced around at the street which was rather quiet and she became thoughtful. Some one knew enough about her to know her new address and her name but were too shy to make it known who they were. She shrugged her shoulders, started the car and headed back to the house.

She carried the package back inside the house and set it down on the coffee table in front of her, staring at it as if it might give her the answers to its contents without ever having to open it. Finally she could not wait any longer and slowly she began to unwrap it leaving a box sitting in front of her waiting to be opened. Slowly she lifted the lid and peered inside, a shock of disbelief and excitement overwhelmed her as she reached inside and pulled out a camera but not just any camera. It was old and it was the kind that she had always dreamed of having but knew she could never afford to get. Who on earth would have spent so much money to give her such a gift and not reveal themselves. She looked inside the box to see if there was anything in it to give her a clue but there was nothing. She held onto it like it might break if she was not careful and was determined to find the best place to display it so she decided to put it on the center of the mantle above the fireplace before returning to organizing the rest of her house.. A few days had passed and she was sitting on her couch reading a book when a thought had come to her. What if the camera had film in it that had been used so she set down her book and walked towards it. Flipping it over she opened up the back panel and let out a gasp of delight seeing a used roll of film still inside. What kind of treasures could this film possibly hold and she could barely contain herself. She slipped on her jacket, the film and the camera and rushed out the front door and down the main street looking for a shop that could develop it.

Pulling up in front of a tiny shop she left the camera on the seat and giggled to herself as she headed inside with the film in hand. She asked the man behind the counter to put a rush on it because she was impatient and wanted to know what it would reveal. He told her it might take a few hours and she said she would go explore the town while she waited. She jumped back into her car and began driving from street to street, up and down each one, admiring the buildings, the people milling about, life happening as if nothing had a care in the world but she was vibrating with anticipation. The time seemed to drag because she kept glancing at her watch as if she could make it go by faster but eventually she was able to return to the shop and pay for the pictures. Once she got back inside the car, she shut the door, her hands trembling as she looked at the envelope, biting on her bottom lip as if she was about to reveal a peek into someone else's life. Pulling open the sticky flap, she slid the stack of pictures out into her right hand and on top there was a nice display of a garden with pink, blue and yellow flowers which she was not expecting but it was pretty to look at. The next one was a bunch of trees with an old wooden fence in the background which was kind of odd for someone to want to capture on film but there was more to discover. The third picture gave her pause as she saw the front of her own house but not from years ago, it was as if it had been taken that very morning showing her curtains hanging in the windows, her welcome mat on the floor in front of the door. Her eyebrows rose a little as she thought perhaps the owner of the store had given her the previous tenants film. The next one made her skin go cold because it was taken inside the living room of her home, her furniture on display the way she had set it up, then one of her kitchen with her coffee cup sitting on the counter and finally one of her bedroom which was disturbing enough but it was the angles of the pictures that began to creep her out. The bedroom one especially because it showed it as being taken from inside the closet of her bedroom, through the slots in the door. The camera had never been used by her since the day she opened the box so how could it have possibly taken those pictures.

As she sat there wondering if someone had broken into her house she heard the familiar sound of   a camera shutter then the soft click of a picture being taken. She slowly turned to stare at the camera on the seat next to her and it was in the same position she had left it. She even looked into the back seat to make sure someone had not gotten into the car without her noticing and was now messing with her. With trembling hands she picks up the camera and turns it over, prying open the back of it expecting to find another roll of film in it that she may have forgotten she put in it but there was nothing, it was completely empty although she could see something had been burned into the back of the lens so she lifted up to the light and that is when she saw it…an image of her sitting inside the car.

“Ok” she said out loud to nothing in particular trying to convince herself that she was tired and it was all in her head. She tries to brush it off and sets the camera back down on the seat and reaches for her keys to start the car then her smartphone pings with a notification that a photo has been added to her gallery. This was not making any sense since she did add anything to her gallery recently but she opened it and staring back at her was a photo of her sitting there with the camera in her hand and a shadowy figure with no face looking down at her through the drivers side window and she screams, almost dropping her phone as she looks at the window to find there is nothing there. Now she is starting to panic, beads of sweat forming on her forehead as she wants to believe that it is some sick twisted practical joke then she hears the click of the camera once more. Another photo appears in the gallery, this time it is one with her hands on the glass window that made it look like she was pounding on it as if she was trapped and trying to signal for help. This was more than she could deal with and she reached for the door handle to get out but it broke off in her hand, leaving her trapped inside the car. She tried to roll down the window next, but it would not budge either. She starts to pound on the glass and scream for someone to help her when she notices people passing by but they don’t even acknowledge her. The camera clicks 3 more times then her phone dings and she froze, not wanting to see what she would see next.

Now shaking she lifts up her phone and swipes across the screen, her eyes falling on the first picture which causes her to lose her breath but this time it was very different. It was the inside of her car but she was no longer sitting in the passenger's seat, it was the shadowy figure with no face, long dark fingers resting on the steering wheel while her view of the world had become very small and almost out of focus. By the time she catches a glimpse of the last picture, it would be too late for her and she found herself permanently inside the lens of the camera. She no longer existed in the outside world but that was not the most horrifying part. She watched in terror as the shadowy figure began to morph slowly changing shape till it turned into an identical version of herself then it slowly turned towards the camera, a smile creeping across its lips. Looking in the rearview mirror, it adjusted the skin on its new face making sure everything looked perfect while Jenna pounded against the lens but no one could hear her or knew she was gone.

The new Jenna put the car into drive and spoke with a cackle in the voice” Its time to go home”