Tick Tock

Tick tock, tick tock, tick tock...

She knew as soon as she found the newspapers, the same would happen to her. She wasn't sure how she new, but she did. Why would it be different? She wasn't anything special. History had repeated itself eleven times in the last seventy-three years, she would be the twelfth.

Liza Harding died January 12, 1942.

Rowland Scott died February 12, 1947.

James Hill died March 12, 1955.

Tiffany Anderson died April 12, 1963

Marie Martin died May 12, 1969.

Mary Ann and Chris Lately died June 12, 1971.

Lesliey Allen died July 12, 1976.

Carrie Hanson died August 12, 1982.

Justin Wilk died September 12, 1991.

Ashley Sheppard died October 12, 2007

She looked at the clock, 1:17 AM. Eight more minutes, she didn't know what to expect. Would it be painful? Would she see the spirt? No one was there to answer her questions, not that anyone would believe her. She saw a tear hit the floor, it was the first time she had cried in while. She couldn't help but think that everyone would forget her. It's not like she had many friends. She was far from her hometown, seventeen hours to be exact. She hadn't gotten out of her new house much to meet the people in her new town. She had no neighbors that were close despite it being a small town. Time was going by at annoyingly slow rate. She debated on reading a book but, what was the point in starting a new one she would never finish. She wanted to draw but her hands were far to shaky. There was nothing left to do but sit and wait. With six minutes left she decided to write a letter, although she would never get the chance to mail it.

"My Love,

I'm sorry I left, I should have listen to you and never come here. I regret asking for space and saying we needed a break. I miss you greatly. It will be a while before we can see each other again. I'm so lucky to have met a guy like you and you will always be the love of my life. I won't be home for the Thanksgiving or the holidays. I know you don't understand, but I can't really explain. I don't have much time left. I hope somehow you receive this letter.

Bye my love."

She looked at the clock again, 1:22 AM, three minutes. She folded up the paper and wrote 'if found please send to Thomas Horton 38 Main Street Fuquay Varina, NC'. She knew it would never reach him but, she was trying to hold onto the last sliver of hope she had left.

She sat and cried for what felt like forever, when it had only 2 minutes and 23 second to be exact. She felt a cold presence at her feet but when she looked up there was nothing. She closed her eyes and breathed in deeply. She thought it would be her last breath, so she wanted to savor every second of. Something wrapped around her throat, she tried to see what it was but nothing was there. She fought as hard as she could but she failed. She passed out but didn't die.

It was 10:13 the next day when she woke up coughing. She wasn't sure if it had all been a nightmare, or if she really had almost died. She got off the hard wood floor and pulled the curtain back. The weather was sunny and gorgeous, not a cloud in sight. The complete opposite of the previous day, yesterday had been gloomy and rainy with a dark grey sky.

The first thing she did was pack up everything she had. There was no way she was staying in this house longer than she had to. She went to the bathroom to freshen up, it wasn't until she took a look in the mirror and noticed the bruise forming, that she was sure of the event of last night. She let a tear fall before quickly grabbing her bags and keys and running out the front door to her car. She didn't know how she was going to explain everything, all she knew was that she was going to be on the next flight to North Carolina.

She picked up her phone and dialed the number she new by heart.

"Hey, I'm coming home."

"Really? I can't wait to see you!"

"I can't wait to see you either!" She said as her voice cracked.

"What's wrong? " He asked.

"Nothing, I just really miss you." She lied, what was she supposed to say? 'Oh nothing, its just a demonic creature tried to kill me last night.' He would have her sent to an insane asylum.

"Ok, well I have to go. I have a meeting in five minutes. I love you and I can't wait to see you when you get home."

She hung up after saying her goodbyes and arrived at the airport twenty minutes till one. The next flight wouldn't be until 3:45 but she didn't mind waiting. It felt good to just be out of that house. Three hours later she boarded her and never looked back, but she would always wonder what made her different.

7 years later

Erin Curts-Horton tried her best to forget get that night, but it wasn't possible. She would always remember it, and how it felt to have something's hands wrap around her throat. She has a happy life except for the memories. She has gotten married and had two kids.

"Hey, did you hear about that guy that died early this morning?" Thomas asked while preparing a cup of coffee.

"No, why?" Erin said as she was mixing the muffin batter.

"I saw it on the news, looks like he was murdered or something. They found him strangled in his home."

"Wow, that's so sad."

"Yeah, it's kinda weird. He lived in that old house you bought a few years ago. Small world I guess." Erin dropped the bowl and it shattered at her feet. It never occurred to her that someone else would buy the house and suffer the same thing she went through. Did that make her selfish? "Are you okay?" Thomas asked, worried about his wife.

"Yeah! Sorry, my hand is wet and the bowl just slipped." She lied, she moved towards the cleaning closet to grab the broom and mop. "I'm just going to clean this up."

"I've got it. Why don't you just go and sit down."

Erin put on a fake smile and nodded as she headed upstairs to their room, where she sat and cried all day long. She vowed from that day on she would never think about that house or that night ever again.