Hatchetfield.

Pete doesn't want to sleep.

Tick tock tick tock...

Pete lay awake in bed, fighting to keep his eyes open. The ever present ticking echoed in his head, almost a hypnotic noise, meant to lull him to sleep.

Tick tock tick tock...

Pete didn't want to sleep. He didn't want to endure the visions that plagued him every time he closed his eyes, the visions of other timelines, other, so much worse timelines.

Tick tock tick tock...

It had started after Steph, Grace and himself summoned the Lord's In Black to banish Max Jägerman. At first it had been faint, so faint that he didn't notice it while Steph was holding a gun to his head, but the ticking got louder overtime.

Tick tock tick tock...

Some days, it was unbearable, the ticking drowning out any other noise, thundering in his ears, making him feel like his head was about to explode. Other days, he would be granted a small mercy, at least during classes, the ticking quiet enough so that he could focus, but just loud enough that he couldn't just ignore it.

Tick tock tick tock...

Grace had gifted Pete a doll. It had yellow fur, and a long goat face, the tag read: "FROM UNCLE WILEY'S TOYS: THE PLAY WITH ME TINKY! *Puzzle box included" The doll freaked him out, it looked like the yellow demon- thing- from the ritual, the one that kept talking about putting Pete in his "Toybox".

Tick tock tick tock...

Pete looked over at the doll, sitting on his shelf, the puzzle box on his bedside table, the doll was unsettling as ever, just seeing it made Pete sick to his stomach, the manic laughter in his head getting louder, and louder. Pete abruptly turned away.

Tick tock tick tock...

Unfortunately, as he did this, he caught his reflection in the mirror. He saw wide, crazy eyes looking back at him, a slight yellow glow emanating from his pupils, he had deep eye bags, and his hair was a mess. He should really take that mirror down.

Tick tock tick tock...

When Pete slept, he saw visions, of other timelines, of a musical apocalypse, a cult worshiping an ugly doll, and even his brother, being trapped in the Bastard's toybox, tortured for all eternity.

Tick tock tick tock...

T'Noy Karaxis was affecting him in other ways as well. Over the last couple months or so, his hair had gotten lighter, to the point that, in the right light, it would look blonde. Pete had also started to become more... Giggly, whether that was the sleep deprivation or not, he didn't know.

Tick tock tick tock...

He'd find himself giggling uncontrollably at even the slightest jokey comment, unable to stop. People had started shooting him weird looks, staring at him like he's a maniac, looking at him with such concern in their eyes, one woman, a redhead who looked straight out of the 80's, looked terrified, Pete didn't want to know why.

Tick tock tick tock...

Somedays... The only thing that would silence the incessant noise, was... The doll... The damned doll, the one that looked too alive to be an inanimate object. On those days, he'd stuff the goat in his backpack, along with the puzzle box, hoping nobody would see it. Sometimes he even went as far as keeping it in his arms as he slept, the visions also became more... Pleasent on those days.

Tick tock tick tock...

Ted had started to notice the teen's strange behaviour, he had gotten a social worker, Douglas "Duke" Keane, to help Pete, but he tried his best to avoid Duke, like his life depended on it.

Tick tock tick tock...

The ticking was a constant reminder that he didn't have much time left, at least that's what he thought, there was a lot about the ticking that he thought to be true, but turned out to be wrong.

Tick tock tick tock...

At first he thought he was crazy, that he was finally going insane after the Jägerman incident, but no, that would've been too easy.

Tick tock tick tock...

All anxieties about going mad were quickly dispelled, as the visions from his sleep started to match with the waking world. A few strange, but small things at first, Miss Mulberry saying the same things she said in his dream, Stacy dying streaks of light blue in her hair, the Chemists losing one of their team members, he had all seen it before, when he was asleep.

Tick tock tick tock...

Then it got worse, he saw Ted, suffering, over and over again, always ending up on the same street, with the same coat and the same hat. Unfortunately for Pete, he'd seen the same person Ted always ended up as in reality, the Homeless Guy, always asking for spare change, Pete had started to carry some.

Tick tock tick tock...

There was this one kid at school, who made him feel... Angry, and very giggly, Pete didn't know why, but it must've had something to do with the kids imaginary friend, Webby.

Tick tock tick tock...

The kids name was Hannah Foster, Pete had left Hatchetfield highschool by now, but he still saw her. He remembers her older sister, Lex, who had dropped out of school about a year or two before graduation. Every time Pete passed by Hannah, the girl jumped, like she was scared of him.

Tick tock tick tock...

Sleep clawed at the edge of his vision, as he desperately blinked to keep awake, but the temptation of closing his eyes, and drifting off, was too tantalising to refuse. And so, Pete shut his eyes, and slept.

The ticking continued.