The Camera 2

His fingers found the rechargeable lamp and hurriedly turned it on. Trembling hands pointed the piercing beam towards the door. He could see the top bolt undone and the bottom one start to move...then it stopped. With one last eerie hiss, the sounds stopped as abruptly as they had begun. AJ had never been this frightened in his life. With legs that felt like rubber, he moved slowly towards the door...ready to flee at the slightest sound. Nothing. He bolted the door and moved away from it, as though it were the plague. Who-no, WHAT was trying to get in moments earlier? Why did the picture appear to change when he held it? A million thoughts ran through his mind as he wondered if he was ever going to sleep again. The Photo was still lying on the floor, where he had thrown it. Gingerly, AJ picked it up. There was nothing wrong with it now, the door was as it should be...firmly locked. The camera! Where was it? There! It lay innocently on top of a pile of books. He took it up and studied it carefully. Nothing spectacular. It WAS an expensive camera, no doubt, but nothing out of the ordinary for a seasoned photographer like himself. He was about to put it down when something caught his eye. There were some scratches at the bottom...no, not scratches, there was some form of lettering there. Squinting to make out what was written, he spelled out the letters L-A-U-R-E-N. Who was Lauren? Was she the owner of the camera? Where was she? He had no idea if the previous occupant of his room was male or female, the landlord had evaded the question of who the former tenant was when he had asked. AJ was still mulling over all these questions running around his head when sleep mercifully took him. 

He didn't wake up until around 8am the next day. He was pleased find out that he slept fitfully. Now, surrounded by bright light, the events of last night seemed hazy, like a half-dream upon distant shores. "Bah!" he said aloud to himself. "It is probably nothing. My mind just played silly tricks on me, that's all." Humming happily, he showered and got ready to go out. He had a mini contract he was supposed to deliver on. A client had asked for pictures to be used in making a children's book. The pay was poor but he loved the job. AJ whistled a catchy tune as he locked his door. It was going to be a good day. Out on the street, he saw his 'friend' the Ice cream man. "When are you going to take my picture bros AJ?" This was a regular opening line in any of their conversations. Today, AJ was going to fulfil his wish. He took out his regular camera and made to snap off a few quick shots. It was out of juice. He could have sworn the battery was fully charged yesterday. No matter. Lauren's (he had decided she was the owner) camera was in his bag. Click! Click!! Click!!! AJ rattled off quick shots and looked at the images in the visor. It was as it should be. They showed Aminu (the ice cream vendor) smiling in front of his shop. A red truck was far in the background at the end of the street, loaded with granite. "Alright Aminu, i'll print these at the studio today and give them to you when I get back, okay?" Aminu nodded happily and went back to his wares. AJ flagged down a bike and went on his way. He wondered why his own normally reliable camera had an unexpected power loss. Maybe the inbuilt rechargeable batteries were bad. When he got down from the bike, he brought it out. Hello, what was this? It showed that the battery was at the 95% mark. So why did it show the 'battery drained' message earlier? He shrugged and went about his business for the day. Later on, AJ stopped by the studio he normally printed his pictures and gave both memory cards to the lady behind the counter. He had a crush on her. Well, on her boobs...but he supposed that didn't matter. In a few minutes, she was done and she handed him 2 envelopes containing both sets of pictures. AJ went through the day's work. They were nice...the client would be pleased. He opened the other envelope, the one with Aminu. This morning, Aminu had been smiling widely, his gap-toothed grin that the kids all loved illuminating his face...the opened mouth and rounded face making him look comical. Aminu's mouth was still open in the picture alright, but this time not in jest. His mouth was wide open, eyes nearly bulging out of their sockets. He seemed frozen in a silent scream...the red truck at the end of the street this morning now just a couple of feet behind him...bearing down like a runaway train...the red paint bearing an uncanny resemblance to blood...drying blood...

To be continued...

By @Marcel 

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