12:00am

What's The Time?

I remember it clearly, even though I'd like nothing more than to forget. The things I heard and saw that day still haunt me, constantly reminding me of how powerless I was to stop it.

I remember how my parents used to tell me and my brother to always go to bed before midnight because any child who uttered even a word after midnight would be "taken away" by a monster. My brother and I always put up a brave and disbelieving front, even though deep down, we were terrified (as any child would be), so we would always make sure to get to bed in good time.

One day, when our parents had to work overtime, we lost track of time while watching a movie and went to bed around 11:50an I think.

After a while trying (and failing) to fall asleep, my brother spoke to me;

"Hey Dave," he called, "what time is it?" he asked.

I groggily opened my eyes and looked at my alarm clock.

"12:01 am" I replied, my mind too fogged over by sleep to realize what I'd just done. I closed my eyes again, trying to fall asleep. Not even five seconds later, I heard a loud beastly snarl and a scream, my brother's scream. I tried to open my eyes, but they wouldn't open, and my body wouldn't move either, no matter how hard I tried to.

For what felt like an eternity, I could only lay there and struggle helplessly, listening to my brother's screams. He screamed for my mother and father to help him, even though they weren't at home. But, the most painful thing was that he was screaming for ME to help him. I'd never felt so useless or scared in my life.

All of a sudden, the screaming and snarling stopped and the force holding me in place ceased, I could move again.

I laid there for a while, too scared to move or open my eyes even though I now could.

"Liam?" I called out, hoping against hope to hear him reply. There was no answer. "Liam?" I tried again, "this isn't funny." I waited, hoping to hear him laugh, revealing this to be another of his silly pranks.

After what felt like hours, I summoned up the courage to open my eyes. I sat up and slowly opened them up. What I saw, I can never forget. The wallpaper of our room which we'd picked out together and helped our father install was torn up, revealing the bare wa3, but what caught my focus was the message NO the wall, the message which was written in what I presumed (and was later confirmed) to be Liam's blood, the message that still gives me nightmares, the simple message which read; "YOU'RE NEXT!!!"