Tick Tock Part One - Hickory

The Clock Struck Twelve

"Jack? Jack!" Reed shouted as he kicked open the thick wooden door with his gun drawn and raised. It wasn't twelve yet. He still had time. Why had the idiot gone off by himself? What the fuck was he going to tell Sandy and Kitty if something happened to that prick? His heart pounded as he looked up into the cavernous stone tower above. He couldn't see anything besides the rickety wooden staircase and the aged brass bells hanging in the dusty darkness above. It looked like no one had been there in years, except he could see shoe prints on the stairs from where the first body had been discovered months ago. Back to the same phcking clock. "Hang on buddy..." He licked his dry lips and pressed himself against the dusty grey wall to peer up the shadowy staircase, sweeping the various angles with his gun.

The stairs spiralled up through the tower, so he had to be careful. He moved as quietly as possible, ducking his head out to check each turn as he went. He tried not to think about the other eleven victims. How they'd all died on the hour, working up from one to eleven. There was still time. Jack should still be alright. It wasn't twelve o'clock yet. He still had a few minutes to reach the top of the stairs. At each turn, he paused to listen, flinching with each small creak of the stairs. He was early, so that sicko could still be there somewhere, lying in wait.

A light breeze drifted down from the open bell tower above, sending small, flaky dust particles floating down. He could soon hear small scraping, creaking sounds on the wooden flooring in the rafters as he climbed higher. Is it Jack? Or an animal? Birds? He remained wary as he kept going. The muffled sounds of distress grew louder as he headed further up. He could hear grunting alongside the scraping now. Someone was trapped up there. Struggling. Reed's heart leapt into his throat. He's still alive!

"Jack?" he called a little louder, throwing caution to the wind as he raced up the final set of stairs to find another door. The door that led into the bell tower. The groans became urgent at the sound of his voice. "Hold on! I'm coming!" Reed assured as he shouldered the old door. That was the problem with older doors. They were bloody solid. Made to last. His shoulder ached as he rammed it again and again. Each time he hit it, the sounds inside became more frantic. The scraping sounded almost insistent against the wooden floorboards. Reed shouted another reassurance as he stepped back and aimed his gun at the lock, shooting the frame near the mechanism. With a further two barges, the door finally gave way.

Reed stumbled through, head raising as he heard a metallic ping above his head, shortly followed by a loud cracking bang to the right. He dropped to the dusty wooden floorboards and rolled, raising his gun and looking around to sweep the area. It was eerily quiet. Far too quiet. A quick instinctive sweep of the room told him that no one else was there. As he looked up, he noticed a dull dripping sound. His stomach lurched as he saw the body slumped forward in the chair, tied securely in place.

"Jack?" His voice quivered as he stumbled towards the chair. No...no-no-no-no-no...He could barely breathe as his throat choked on a sob. His burning eyes were already streaming as he reached his partner. His body was still warm. Of course it fucking was! He'd been alive moments earlier. But...how? He felt numb as he cupped Jack's warm cheeks, clean shaven as usual, sandy hair cut short and neat. His skin was pink and flushed, besides the stream of dark red dripping steadily from the matching holes in his temples. "Hey...Jack...Come on...Come on buddy, you can't...y-you can't just...Phck!" he cursed, feeling frantically for a pulse.

His bloodied hands trembled as he pulled his phone out. He was shaking so badly he could barely light up the screen and dial. When the call was answered, he barely managed to stammer out his name before the deafening tolls sounded. He fell to the floor, clutching his head and wailing pathetically over the sound of the bells as they struck twelve. I was early! He was supposed to be alive! He was alive! It wasn't twelve yet! He could barely bring himself to move after that. He felt cheated. It had never happened before the hour before. Not once. Not a single fucking time! He should have had time!

The call must have been successful because some time later, he didn't know how long, a paramedic appeared at his side. He was barely lucid as the young woman sat him up and tried to talk about what had happened. Besides a couple of bruises on his shoulder and the shock, he was fine. The paramedic was kind and patient as she tried to coax him into going with her to the ambulance outside. Reed heaved a few dry sobs as he noticed the black bag laid out while the forensic team cut the ropes from his partner's body. He hadn't even noticed them arrive, nor had he seen the camera flashes. Phck! I was early! His whole body trembled with rage and despair. He looked up as there was a mechanical click and a crackling speaker sounded from somewhere across the room.

"Hickory Dickory Dock, The mouse ran up the clock, The clock struck noon, He's here too soon! Hickory Dickory Dock, Tick-tock-tick-tock-tick-tock." The twisted child's voice sent shivers down his spine as a sick feeling settled in the pit of his stomach. His breath caught as he stumbled to his feet. The paramedic tried to catch his arm as he started looking around frantically. He soon caught sight of the rifle attached to the far wall across from the bells. It was a setup? He couldn't believe it. His legs gave out as his eyes found the electronic mechanism above the door. I did this...When I broke through the door I...

"Detective!" Reed fell to his knees, worried hands trying to catch him and soften the landing. A roar of despair fled his lips as he clawed the dusty floorboards. It was a setup! He knew I'd be early from the start! That phcking...He barely heard the paramedic as his head span.