TICK… TOCK…
Or not?
I shot up awake again, a strange sense of Deja-vu enveloping me as I slowly got out of bed, trying not to wake anyone.
What is this? Was that just a dream? What a relief.
Even though I brushed it off as a dream, there was a searing pain on my back near my left shoulder blade, exactly where I had hit the clock in the 'dream'.
No matter, my throat felt dry and my head was hurting, so I headed to the kitchen to get myself some water.
Though, before I reached the kitchen, I noticed something off.
In the main room, the old clock that had been there my whole life, was broken on the floor?
"What happened here?" I muttered, genuinely confused at the sight.
That's when a chill shot down my spine, I turned my head and saw him. That monster from my dream.
Why is he here? What is this?
The monster raised an eyebrow, "What do we have here…"
That's strange, he didn't express any interest in me in the other dream, this must be another dream, right?
I brushed it off and continued into the kitchen, getting myself a nice drink.
The monster didn't seem to care and walked further into the house and into the room I had just left.
"What a strange dream." I hummed thoughtfully as I gulped down some water, it felt real, too real.
Wait. Was this real?
A scream—
I dropped the ladle of water and my blood ran cold, I turned my head and saw Yui's head being ripped clean off her shoulders, her blood exploding out all over the monster, the floor and walls.
My eyes widened in horror. This wasn't real, right? What the hell is going on?
Before I could run over, the monster set his sights on me, I didn't even notice as he disappeared and reappeared behind me.
And suddenly, my world turned upside down.
I felt like I was flying, I felt light.
Wait. Is that my body?
My vision slowly faded to black, the screams of my family faded away in the back of my mind.
TICK… TOCK…
My eyes shot open and I jerked awake.
"W-what the hell?" I whimpered and looked at my hands, shaking.
The searing heat on my back shoulder had returned, and what was that noise? It was like a clock ticking.
My gaze drifted to the futon on the opposite side of the room, Yui.
I crawled over and nudged her gently, watching as her long eyelashes fluttered awake.
She's alive?
"Yui… are you okay?" I tried, my voice barely a whisper.
She rubbed her eye and replied groggily, "Huh? Toki? What are you doing awake… is it morning?"
My eyes started to water and without thinking, I hugged her tight. "You're okay! Oh dear I thought you were gone."
However, it seems my cries woke up the rest of the house. My father poked his head out from his doorway with tired eyes. "Go to sleep, scoundrels!"
I chuckled as he retreated back into his room, but there was no humor, it felt like I should laugh, but also I shouldn't? It felt strange, like something dreadful was about to happen.
At that moment, the door to our room creaked open and in stepped that damn monster.
My eyes widened and my breath hitched in my throat.
The monsters gaze landed on Yui and he moved before I could even fully comprehend that he was there.
And just like that, Yui was once again gone.
But this time, before the monster could make another move.
*WHAM!*
The monsters body suddenly jerked to the side, its head being hit hard by something heavy.
"Toki, get your siblings and run. NOW!" My father had entered the room, he had used a sledgehammer that was used to prop the door open, to attack the monster.
I was frozen in shock, but I listened nonetheless, grabbing Riku and Rina before I bolted out of the room.
However, before I could exit the front door, something hit me in the side, hard.
I was sent flying across the room, my ribs collapsed in on themselves and even I think they even punctured one of my lungs, my arm was completely shattered with bones protruding from almost everywhere.
Riku was gone from my grasp, where was he? my gaze scanned the whole room and when it landed on him… his head had been fully crushed in, his small body dyed red.
My vision blurred, I looked at Rina, her body split perfectly in two.
What had even hit me? I looked down at the wound to see what hit me… and yes, it was my own fathers head.
I tried to stand, to fight, to help…
But it was all for nothing.
One singular punch was all it took to completely destroy my head.
And I died, again.
TICK… TOCK…
Just like before, I shot up awake.
I started to breath faster, my heartrate skyrocketing.
"What is this? Why is this happening to me…?" Was all I could say, all I could think.
My mind was working in overdrive and then something from that last… time… came to mind, father had a sledgehammer propped up by the door.
I moved quick, slowly and quietly grabbing the sledgehammer before making my way to the main room, just slightly out of sight from the front door.
I stood there, with the sledgehammer at the ready.
My whole body was shaking, from fear, from rage? I didn't know.
And the moment that monster stepped through the front door, I swung.
The sledgehammer flew up toward the monsters head.
He turned and looked at the sledgehammer rapidly approaching his head, and all three of his eyes widened.
*BANG!!*
The hammer collided with his face, but the demon didn't even flinch, if anything, he just grinned.
"Oh wow… it seemed you were expecting me? How strange…" his voice was horrible, condescending even, but he sounded amused.
Was this funny? No. It wasn't.
My heart stopped, "Why… How…" was all I managed to get out before my body was sent crashing into the wall.
And in my dying breaths, I saw it. That old clock. It read…
00:09
TICK… TOCK…
My eyes shot open, but I didn't jerk upright. My mind was whirling.
That clock? Had time kept going? In the first time around, the clock had clearly read 00:01, the second… I vaguely remember it being 00:03 when the demon killed me, the next one I didn't see and the next I didn't see. But the most recent one, it was certainly 00:09.
But that doesn't make any sense, It should've been 00:01, right? I wasn't standing there for nine minutes, that I can guarantee.
My eyes narrowed, I couldn't think clearly with everything going on, even if I tried.
My mind was clouded with thoughts like…
Is this infinite? Or will I run out of chances?
Can I even fight?
Should I run?
CAN I run?
How can I save my family?
How do I live?
How do I kill that thing?
What is even happening?
How am I going back in time?
Am I even going back in time?
What is that thing?
How is it so strong?
What is up with that clock?
What is that pain in my back?
Why is this happe—
*SPLAT!*
Before I could even continue thinking, my head was smashed straight into the floor, flattening it completely.
TICK… TOCK…
My eyes shot open, the searing pain in my back had lessened, I guess I was getting used to it.
I needed to think of a plan, I needed to find a way.
I wasted no time, rushing into my parents room, I urged them both awake.
"Mother… Father, there is a monster, we need to hide."
My mother was sleeping and my father was sitting upright, studying me with a strange look. "You okay kid?"
My gaze was firm, unyielding. "Please, just hide, get in that closet!" I pointed at their closet.
"Uh, sure." My father nodded, giving me a strange look before picking my half asleep mother up and getting in the closet.
I suppose he listened to me since I never usually act like this, or he genuinely believed me, either way, it was strange seeing him like that.
Without another word, I rushed back into my room, picked up Riku, placed him in the closet with my parents and finally picked both Yui and Rina up and hid in my own closet, both of them silently stirring awake.
My heart was pounding in my ears, my breath visible despite the humid atmosphere.
I heard the door creak open, then a terrifying chuckle that bordered humor and disdain.
Please, no. Please for the love of god, no.
"A closet, huh? That's a real bad hiding spot, kid. Could've at least hidden behind the door." That disgusting voice that sounded like nails on a chalkboard rang out.
My heart dropped and just like that, the entire closet was crushed. Me, Yui and Rina all being crushed together like we were insects.
TICK… TOCK…
I sprang out of bed, grabbed Riku and ran into my parents room.
"Father, this is urgent, I need you to hide in there." I pointed up, to a small hatch on the ceiling, leading to the attic.
He raised an eyebrow but he could tell by the look in my eye that it was serious, so he grabbed Riku and opened up the hatch.
"Thank you." I said before rushing back into my room, urging both Yui and Rina awake, rushing them into my parents room to hide in the attic.
Before I could join them, I heard the clock tick, one minute had passed, I needed to hide, but I couldn't hide here.
Oh fuck it.
I ran back into my room and hid in the small crevice between my door and the wall.
My breath was still a little heavy, but it was quiet to anyone without exceptionally great ears thanks to the wooden walls letting some of the night wind in.
The door slowly creaked open, I had to breath in so that the door didn't touch me.
"A closet, huh? That's a real bad hiding spot, kid. Could've at least hidden behind the door." The demon's voice rang out, much clearer this time, maybe because there was just a thin wooden door between us.
I heard his fat footsteps slowly move away and…
*CRUSH!*
I heard a sickening crush, but there was no scream, no sound of bones crushing.
No one was hurt, yet.
The monster scoffed, "Tch, where are you?"
*sniff, sniff*
Is he… sniffing?
A disgusting chuckle escaped his filthy lips again, "Oh I see, you're above me, eh?"
My heart dropped and I pushed the door open, in hopes to distract him.
Well, I did. But he didn't care, his arm suddenly shot through the ceiling and pulled.
And what he pulled out shook me to the core.
It was my mothers head and upper torso, her face was blank, not having a chance to react before she was stripped of her life.
My eyes caught hers, her eyes that mirrored my own. Those kind, compassionate eyes. Now lifeless.
My vision blurred, a deep, untamed rage boiled beneath my skin born from frustration and that feeling of helplessness.
I charged forward, hoping to at least tackle the monster.
But with my mothers head in his maw, he simply swatted me away as if I was a fly.
And just as easily as swatting away a fly, he completely shattered the right side of my face and sent me flying into the wall.
I slowly slid down the wall, my right eye completely blind and my left eye blurry, all I could make out was my father, trying to fight back.
He was strong, my father was very strong. But he wasn't a monster.
And it seemed only monsters had the privilege of being this strong. It's unfair.
So… so… unfair.
TICK… TOCK…