Brian's+Group

"One of a Kind"



"Ugh!" Travis shouted as he was determined to make a clear picture evolve through the television screen. "This thing is terrible!" it was a stressful days in March. Lately, everyday in their Dallas home, which at one point was a quaint, and joyful environment, became stressful. The couples home was placed in a content neighborhood where everyone knew everyones business. Through the window, Travis had a clear view of the children chasing the ice cream truck down the street. The annoying tone slowly crept it's way into Travis's head and hide in fright of anything trying to stop it. This only made Travis more aggravated, not ending well. "You need to just leave the television alone for now. I swear you're stuck on that thing!" exclaimed Kelly, Travis' wife who was very sweet but was always there to tell Travis she felt and never held anything back. Travis, who always seemed to take things to heart, did as his wife requested and continued his normal morning routine. Travis' day started out just like any other day. It began by him taking a shower which he disribed as heaven like so early in the morning. He would than pick out his outfit for the day and eat something. Travis finished his morning by leaving at approximately 7:30a.m. Kelly, being the sweet, genuine, kind person she was, prepared Travis' breakfast and was always looking for ways to help him. Kelly didn't have a job, so she usually stayed home and did things around the house. After Travis was long gone for work, Kelly remembered how aggravated Travis had become with their television, not to mention it was as old as an ipod touch. Kelly took it upon herself and thought that it would be a very kind gesture to go out and purchase a new television set, knowing this would make Travis extremely happy. Something like this would take a little stress out of Travis's hectic life. So when the opportunity of buying a new TV was presented to Kelly, she wasn't hesitant at all.

It was around 1:30p.m when Kelly began her quest for the new television. She searched all throughout town, coming upon many different variations of televisions, but none seemed quite right for Travis. Finally, after hours of this exhausting hunt, she came upon a store that seemed no less then excellent, "Televisions of The Future." Kelly entered the store, very excited thinking that this store could be the one. "Welcome to Televisions of the Future, How may I help you mam'?" said Mr.Johnson, the stores owner. "Hello, I'm here looking for the perfect television set for my husband." replied Kelly. "I believe we have the perfect TV for you Mrs. My televisions are all personally made to fit the costumers every need." explained Mr. Johnson. "What is it your looking for?" "I need a sturdy reliable TV, that won't break down after a couple months. "And it needs to be the best television there is, One that makes all my nieghbors want one just like it." Kelly added. "Well I think we have just what you're looking for"! This television, The T9100, uses 14 LCD screens so that all of your televison shows are looking good. The picture will blow Travis' mind, with picture quality so good it will make you seem like you are there, and a 62 inch screen" replied Mr.Johnson. "Wow, this television looks amazing, how muchdoes this cost?" asked Kelly. "Well this television came in just earlier today, and is top notch. Buying it anywhere else, it could cost you hundreds of thousands of dollars, but buying from me and this once in a life time deal, I'm only asking for around 25,000 dollars". As you can see, Mr. Johnson was trying to coerce Kelly into purchasing the television"That seems like quiet a lot of money...". "Oh, Kelly, You will never see any other television that can do what this TV can, Trust me, you're in for a BIG surprise." Mr. Johnson said, trying to lore Kelly into buying it. "Okay Mr. Johnson, you've got a deal. I'll take it. Can you please have someone bring it over to my house before 7:30p.m.? I want this to be a surprise for Travis". "You've got it; your new TV will be over soon. Thank you for your business! Have a great day." As Kelly left the store, she felt quite satisfied with her purchase but little did Kelly know that this would be one purchase that she would never forget Kelly prepared the house for the new delivery that would be coming soon. She moved the old beat up Samsungm television away in the basement, and rearranged the furniture to fit the very large TV that was soon to arrive. When Kelly heard the door bell ring the nest morining, a sudden urge of excitement shot through her body like an afternoon sugar rush. The delivery man mounted the television into the spot Kelly had assigned for them, then quickly left. Kelly took a enthralled look into there new family room, overpowered with joy the room looked completely different. Travis finally to arrived home. Kelly heard the front door open overwlemed with joyfulness and glee. There was a quite ominous silence... Penertrating the silence like a bullet pierching the flesh. "Kelly ! What did you do ?!" exclaimed Travis.

"Do you like it?" questioned Kelly. "Do I like it? I love it ! It's amazing. Why did you feel the need to buy this all of the sudden?" asked Travis.

"I know you were so frustrated with our old TV, and we needed something new." explained Kelly.

"It's perfect ! " said Travis.

As Travis and Kelly settled down to finally watch their new television, the house became very still as if no one had lived there. One could hear a mouse crawling through every single crack.The couple was so amazed by the television, no words were spoken, almost as if they had suddenly became mute. Befor they knew it, it was midnight. "It's been a long day, I'm going to bed. Goodnight."Kelly announced. "I'll be there soon, Goodnight." said Travis.As Travis finally mustered enough strength to ge his body out of the seat, the tired man began to walk to his room when suddenly he tripped the coffea table and came crashing down landing very close to the television screen, or that is how it appeared. Travis fell unconscious and blacked out for what seemed like an hour. When he finally awoke, and he noticed he wasn't in his house anymore. When he rose to his feet, he looked out and saw his couch, coffee table, and the whole family room from same angle as where the TV was. It was then Travis realized when he fell, he didn't just fall, but fell into the TV ! Travis thought " This can't be real, people don't just fall into their televisions." But it was very real. Travis tried to just crawl back out, but he was stuck there. A look of fright and confusion took over Travis's face.

With no clue what to do, Travis thought that maybe if he backed up and took a leaping jump, he could make it out of the television. Travis backed up, and shot up like a bullet towards the screen. Travis was only hoping that this would work as he planned, when SPLAT! He crashed painfully in to the television screen and was squished like a fly! Hopeless, Travis turned around, confused and lost as to what was happening.He then ran into the Miley Cyrus, or atleast her picture. Realizing now that when he entered the television, he became part of the virtual world that people see behind a screen on a daily basis. Travis kept walking, right through every channel on t.v hoping he was invisible. Continuing walking, Travis tried to figure out where Kelly could had bought this television, and wondering if the sales man even knew what it was capable of. "What if they're aliens working at the store", "What if they come back and try to get Kelly", "Better yet, how am I going to get out of here", Travis pondered. He found a channel that was out blank for some reason that he did not know, but took it to his advantage and sat down to take some time to think.

Time continued to pass, when finally morning rolled around and Kelly woke up. Frantically searching around the house to find Travis, Kelly grew nervous. She tried calling him, when she noticed that his phone was buzzing away on the coffee table. "Travis would never leave his cell phone at home, better yet just leave without telling me?" Kelly questioned herself. By this time, Travis had turned around and began to head back in hope of finding his television screen. On his way to find his television screen, he saw a man walking around looking as puzzled as himself. So Travis decided to ask,

"Sir, my name's Travis, I couldn't help but to notice the look of confusion on your face, so I figured the same thing that has happened to me, may have happened to you."

"Hi Travis, lovely to meet you," the man replied. "I'm Bill Sullivan, and you're never going to believe it, but I thi-, I think I fell into my television?"

"No! I believe you Mr. Sullivan, because as strange as it seems...I think the same thing happened to me! We need to figure out how to get out of here!"

"Well Travis, by the way you can just call me Bill, what model television is yours?"

"I honestly have no idea..Bill, when I came home from work, and my wife surprised me with it, it was just waiting in my living room, I don't even know where she bought it! I was clueless when I came home and saw it. I don't even know where to start! I'm so frazzled with this situation, I don't know what to do! I'm panicking, I'm just glad I found you! If I were alone, I'd never find a way out of this mess!"

"Calm down Travis! We'll get out of this... I think. The television I bought is a brand new one, it's the T9100."

"Actually, that might be the one my wife bought me, I think that's what the manual said...?"

"Weird thing is...when I went to the store, the sales consultant told me that I was the only one that would have this television?" said Bill with a very confused look on his face.

The two continued on, searching for a way to escape this craziness that seemed to be driving them mad.

Travis and Bill, continued "channel walking" for quite some time. There seemed nothing else to do in this virtual reality. They walked until they came upon a room with rapid blackness growing from floor to sky. Neither man knew if it was a safe haven or just more of this horrible realm they'd fallen into. "Are we seriously going to walk right into that?" Bill questioned. Travis was walking severely close to the "darkness". He was looking it up and down, and straight into it.

" I don't think we really have an option. Plus we're already stuck in our TV's, how much worse can it get?"

Sweat beads collected on both men's forehead, the anticipation of the unknown was killing them. Neither knew what was in store for them, and it made them sick. Rather than just getting the nervous butterflies, they had the feeling of wild animals burrowing into the pits of their stomachs. They slowly inched forward, each man trying to act braver than the other. After walking about thirty feet, the previous, bright channels seemed nothing but a light at the end of a pitch black tunnel. With a few more steps, the men were completely enveloped by darkness. There was nothing but black around them. No sounds were heard like before, just the heavy footsteps and pounding heart beats of the men.

Bill stopped walking,Travis could sense it.

"Jeeze, I can't even see my feet, Travis" "Calm down, we're probably in some powerless channels. Just keeping walking and I'm sure we'll get out."

The men continued a few steps and then they both fell down, into what seemed to be a big hole. Each man was speechless. They were admist the air for what seemed like forever, and then there was a faint glow beneath them. With each passing second, the light grew bigger and bigger. Then after what seemed an entire year, they thumped hard against the ground.

" What in the world?! " Travis looked around his new "channel". They weren't walking but the picture, which was black and white, kept changing to different views of a store room. " Bill, I think we're on a store security channel?"

Bill turned for a better picture of what he was standing in and then a stunned looked appeared on his face.

" What, what?" Travis questioned him, "Do you know this place?" "Yes I do, this is where I bought my TV and where, I'm guessing your wife bought your TV too. That man behind us is Mr. Johnson, the floor salesman."

The men continued to watch the security camera channel to the store, hours passed and no less than ten customers had walked into the store looking for new televisions. Travis began to ponder to himself...."Every customer that has entered this store had been told that their television was //one of a kind?"// He didn't quite understand. Did the sales men know what these pieces of technology were capable of? Travis thought that he would bring his theory up to Bill until he turned his head and saw the sly smirk that was spread across Bill's face. He knew something was wrong at this point, he knew that this was no accident. Something was very wrong and Travis was determined to figure out what was on the mind of the mad men, that were attempting to take over with the use of one simple piece of technology.

In a panic, Travis started banging on the screen that was separating him and the world he belonged in. Nobody seemed to notice inside the store, except for Mr. Johnson. Travis was positive Mr. Johnson was staring him down, through the screen. Travis knew for sure something was wrong. The only thing he could think of to do was scream, but no one in the store heard him. The cold, staring eyes of Mr. Johnson matched perfectly with the sly smirk Bill gave to Travis. Travis caught Bill signing some secret language to Mr. Johnson, and knew he had to get away. Mr. Johnson and Bill were some sort of evil partners. Travis believed death was right around the corner for him, and could only run. He had no idea where he was going, but he just wanted to get away from Bill and his evil partner Mr. Johnson. Travis stopped for a breath and there was Bill again. He had no idea how Bill had caught up to him, but he was there.

"What are you trying to do to me?!," Travis exclaimed. "What do you mean, I'm your friend Travis," Bill said shadily. "Stop lying! Stop giving me that look! You're up to something! I did nothing to you! What do you want from me?!" Travis was out of breath and exhausted. He didn't know what to do with himself. It seemed as if he'd never get out of this horrible world he was now stuck inside. He thought about giving up, and letting Bill do whatever he intended to do to him, but then he remembered Kelly. She must have been horrified and worried, she had to be wondering where Travis was.

That's exactly what Kelly was thinking. She had no idea what happened to her husband. After finding her husband's cell phone on the table, she tried calling everyone in his recent calls, but nobody knew where Travis was. Kelly burst out the door and sprinted to the neighbor's houses, in tears, but still nobody had seen Travis leave the house. Kelly went back home to double check all over the house, but still no sign of Travis. Nothing but bad thoughts of what may have happened to Travis were pounded into Kelly's head. She had one last hope...

"Maybe he went to his sister's house because he was supposed to go visit her soon," Kelly thought. So, Kelly called Trish, Travis' sister, but there was no answer. Kelly got in the car and sped off to Trish's house. She frantically knocked on the door, and Trish answered with the biggest look of confusion on her face. "Kelly! What's wrong?!," Trish asked. "It's Travis! Is he here?! I don't know where he is! I called everyone, and went to the neighbors. Nobody has seen him! I went to bed last night, and he said he was staying up to watch the end of the show. I don't believe he was angry with me and if so I was not aware at the least so I don't think he would've just left. He even left his phone at the house, and you know him, he never goes anywhere without it. I'm panicking Trish, help me find my husband!" Kelly burst into tears. Trish was still just as confused, and she didn't know what to do either. Kelly entered into the house and Trish sat there comforting her, pondering all sorts of ways to find Travis.

"Kelly you're right, Travis doesn't leave the house without his phone, so he must be at the house still," Trish said. "You stay here Kel, I'll be back in a few minutes. Do not go anywhere." Trish went back to her missing brother's house and searched everywhere in the house. She checked the backyard, the basement, the bathroom, everywhere! Travis really wasn't there. Trish decided the last thing she could do was call the police. "911 Emergency. What's your emergency?" "It's my brother! His name is Travis Berman. His wife came to my house about an hour ago saying he was missing. I went to check his house to see if she was just imagining he was gone or something, but he's really not there. He isn't at work, the neighbor's or anything. Kelly, his wife, and I have called everyone and checked everywhere. He's no where to be found!," Trish explained. "Where can we find him normally?" "Travis' address is 684 Utley Street, Dallas Texas," Trish said. "Return to that address please, the police will be arriving shortly." As Trish and Kelly headed back to Utley street, they were met by the loud sirens and flashing lights of the police cars. Kelly asked the police officer, "What seems to be the problem"? He responded, "ma'am do you live here"? "Yes of course" she said hysterically. The police man continued, " There seemed to be to have been a burglary" "A BURGLARY!", Kelly shouted " Yes ma'am, but all they stole was your television" The police man said. " We had just received a call about a similar burglary close by, where the criminal had only stolen the television" he added "Do you know what kind of television was stolen, at the their house?" Kelly asked. "Yes a T9100" said the officer Kelly gasped, thousands of thoughts ran through her mind in the matter of only a short second. Could Mr. Johnson possibly have lied to her about her tv being one of a kind? Did Mr. Johnson steal both television sets? But if he did for what reason, and what was Mr. Johnson trying to hide from Kelly. The police man interrupted Kelly's thoughts, "ma'am if you have any information it would be extremely appreciated and vital to finding this criminal." Kelly lied and said, "No" Without further thought Kelly knew that it was important to go back to the store and asked Trish to join her. Trish said, "Kelly this is not the time to take a trip to the store", but the seriousness on Kelly's face told her that it was important. She said no more and got in the car. The car was full of dead air, a slient and awkward ride non the less. After a few minutes they arrived to what seemed to be an abandoned wasteland. Trish asked Kelly, "What is this place?" Kelly left speechless. At the sight of where she brought her $25,000 television set, now there was nothing.

While all of this commotion was occurring in the outside reality, Travis was still trapped within his television screen. At this point he was aware that something was very wrong, but he had not a clue how it happened or why it had to be him. After wrestling Bill into a submission sense and tying him up with props on the channel they were now, he thought he could start off by asking him a few questions, in a hope to figure things out. "Soooo, who are you guys working for, HUH? some sort of aliens!" Travis was going crazy by this point. "What do you guys think you are going to do, pull everyone into this black hole of a virtual hell?" he screamed. "I hope you fools know this isn't going to work, you won't do what"ve you done to me to everyone" Travis pleaded to Bill. "......Hah that's where you are wrong, that is simply what you think" Bill replied "...We are now manufacturing T9100 on a large scale and production is through the roof. And there is nothing you can do about it, you're trapped in this beautiful creation you seem to think is hell. At the rate we are producing T9100s at, there will soon be one for every household in America. Before you know it, the entire would will be under my command." "How do you escape this place you ask?" said Bill. "The beauty is you don't! Well at least you cant. I can go and come as I please."

Travis fell to the floor, and just sat. His thoughts were racing through his mind. " If Bill can get come and leave this place at any time, then I should be able to get out."

Bill sat, tied up, and just smiling to himself.

Travis heard a really faint beeping. He got up, and started to follow the sound. Bill started to move uncomfortably and wouldn't look Travis in the eyes. "Whats that? " Travis asked Bill.

" It's nothing, forget about it. "

But Travis didn't believe him. As he walked closer to Bill the sound became louder, the sound was coming from Bill ! Through his sweatshirt pocket, he could even see a little red flashing light. Immediately, Travis took whatever it was. He backed up from Bill, even though he was still restrained. "Is this a remote?" Travis asked to no one in particular because he knew Bill wouldn't answer. " GIVE THAT BACK NOW!" Bill screamed. " Well this is obviously important to you, Bill." Travis looked down at the funny technology. It did look like a remote, but it was quite a bit longer and had different buttons.Instead of having numbers, it had letters. " Is this how you get in and out of this... place ?" Bill just glared and yelled which caused Travis to jump back a little.

"I'm taking that as a yes"

Travis knew this was his key out of his T.V, but he didn't know how to work it. He was studying the letter and then got an idea. He carefully and slowly typed out D A L L A S, T E X A S. He waited but nothing changed. He looked down and saw an, OK button flashing. " Well its worth a try." Bill was glaring at him with a cocked head. Travis pushed down on the OK with his thumb.

Everything started spinning, fast and strong, as if on a roller coaster. Both men fell out of the air onto an empty lot. Travis looked up to see his wife and sister, both crying. The two women came running over, bewildered and overyjoyed to see him.

Travis looked up to see Bill and Mr.Johnson driving away.