Clock Breakers

Rule 9: Leave Your Life Behind

The cabin was cold and dark, the sunlight dying on the floor. I walked through slowly, searching for any traces of life following the car accident. I looked into Nash's room, the sheets still tangled, his bag still on the table. The bathroom had dried water stains on the glass, nothing unusual under the sink. My room was as I'd left it, my bag still under the bed, the window still open. I dug my hand into the pillowcase, finding nothing. I looked around with my hands on my hips. I couldn't focus enough to look for pieces, but I could distract myself.

I cleaned the cabin top to bottom, throwing away bottles and old food from the fridge, burning my bloodied napkin-mask in a shallow bath of alcohol on the counter. I scrubbed everything down with disinfectant. I stripped the beds and washed the sheets, checking every nook, fold, and pocket on everything for pieces that didn't exist. I reorganized the cabinets, I scrubbed out the fridge, I dumped the ice from the freezer and let it melt away so I could scrub it. The windows were cleaned and open, the curtains washed, the cabinets sprayed with air freshener. The microwave said nothing before I unplugged it and took it from the wall, scrubbing the portal of dirt behind it. I looked through the clothes in my drawer, deciding they were anonymous enough to leave behind. I set my bag on the kitchen table, holding only a few sets of clothes and some other necessities. I took the sheets from the line outside, gray clouds inching closer as a breeze was born. I made the beds, tucking the sheets nicely and fluffing the half-flat pillows best I could. I took Nash's bag from his room, leaving it on the kitchen table. His clothes were a more niche style, but they could be left. I stared at his bed, remembering that sloppy drunk the night before he tried to kill me. I crouched down, reaching my hand between the bed frame and the wall. I pulled out a crumpled paper, unfolding it in my fingertips.

I didn't notice I was crying until a drop darkened the ink. Only you can fix this, it said. Of course I was the only one left, but why the hell would Nash write this just to hide it? My eyes widened as I stood and ripped a sticky note from his table. I dug around for a spare pen, shaking up the stiff ink inside before hurriedly copying the note. They were nearly identical.

"Oh, you dumbass," I breathed. "I don't need to outsmart you, I just need to listen to me!" I shoved the notes into my pocket and grabbed the bags from the kitchen, jumping quickly to Boss' office to leave them on the desk.

"I don't know where the pieces are, I don't know how many there are," I said quietly, scanning the spines of the shelves, "but I'm the only one who can find them. Tell me where to go."

I started pulling books, flipping to pages at random, trying to decipher codes that weren't there. I stepped back, staring hopelessly at the shelves. It had to be here, something was telling me, but where was it? I rubbed my face, an epiphany landing as I scanned the wall again. I took out my notebook and started writing the pattern of books in each shelf. Only two in the first one, five in the next, then three, then one and seven. A five by ten grid, right in front of me, a pattern of numbers. I slowly turned the first dial on my watch, filling it with the numbers of the first row. I moved to the second dial, that would be time. I sighed, my plan collapsing. The location grid was limited to a five number sequence, but the time grid had twenty, just in case we had to go way back before year zero - years plus the month, day, hour, minute, second. I shook my head, plugging in the next four rows of numbers into the time dial. Might as well try...

The bottom bookshelves were empty except for one book. I cocked my head at my watch, all settings filled, before crouching in front of it.

"What are you, then?" I asked, pulling the book from the shelf. There were tabs along its side, in five different colors. I flipped open to the first tab. Cooper. "What?" I flipped to the second tab. Juniper. I kept flipping through, finding Doc, Jaysk, and finally, Nash.