n/a

Someone Dies

James sat in the corner of the containment room covered in the black, oil-like substance of the creature. Doctor Reed stumbled in the room and stared at James with a terrified look on his face.

"Do you have any idea what you have just done?!" Doctor Reed screamed.

James woke up from his awkward daydream when he heard the doctor yell. He realized that he just saw the entirety of Derek's last moments and stared at the doctor in disbelief. After he stared at the doctors sweat-drenched face, Amelia ran into the room. She looked at the havoc in the containment room and fell to her knees with tears streaming down her face. She screamed and James knew that him eating what took over Derek's body didn't matter because Derek was already dead. But, he didn't say that because he's a civil human being with reasonable morals. Other than eating other peoples deceased fiancees.

Amelia stood up realizing that it was James that killed her "beloved" Derek and lunged at him. James then stood up quickly, almost slipping in the Hirans blood and began to run. James got to the threshold of the door before looking back at Amelia. She had a knife in her hand and she seemed to be frozen.

"Tsk, tsk, James." an old voice said.

"Who are you?" James asked.

A man suddenly appeared from the dark part of the room. He looked older, probably somewhere around forty-seven. He wore a grey cardigan and slacks, sort of Mister Rogers type look, which James found to be somewhat comforting, because he watched "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood" all the time as a kid (may Fred rest in peace).

"Well, let's start by talking about what I am," the specter replied. He pulled out a pocket watch, opening it with a flourish and showing it to James. "This, dear child--"

"It's a pocket watch. You're a pocket watch??" James interrupted.

The man stood and gawked at James for a full ten seconds, dumbfounded by the idiocy that was set before him, until he finally spoke. "You're serious?? Do I look like a pocket watch to you?! This isn't just any pocket watch. It is my pocket watch."

"And that has relevance over any ordinary pocket watch because?"

"Because I am the physical embodiment of time itself. Have you ever wondered why things happen the way they do? Why things have happened or will happen? What about why Easter is always on a Sunday and Christmas is on the twenty-fifth of December? You age forwards, and not backwards. Do you know why?"

"Oh my god.... You're GOD!" James shouted.

"You really must be something special, aren't you?"

"Actually, no. I'm just a main character in a story that I don't know I'm in."

The strange man gave his monologue, "I wish I could let you think I'm God, but I'm not. He'd get pretty mad at me,  but we have tea every Ash Wednesday so it's all good. Anyway, I'm Time. You'll call me Tom, and I'm your worst enemy. I can destroy your life beyond repair, force you to watch everyone you love grow old and die, leaving you alone in this ghastly world. And all of it can be done with the click of a clock."

Tom went up to James and stuck his hand on his shoulder.

"I now bestow upon you, my gift." Tom said.

Tom turned around and froze James where he stood. He went up to Amelia and grabbed her by the throat and crushed it, quickly silencing the scream Amelia couldn't seem to get out. He turned to James and smiled and then slowly went to Doctor Reed, pulled out a dagger and plunged it into the mans chest.

"Why me?" James finally asked.

"Well, you're not special, and since the author enjoys reiterating it at least once every chapter, I've decided to meddle in your oh-so happy childhood affairs." Tom explained.

Tom then walked out of sight and quickly returned with the immobilized body of Eric. James' eyes began to water from the foreshadowing of what will happen to his friend.

Yes. The title for this chapter is "someone dies" but in reality, pretty much everyone dies.

Tom grabbed Eric's head with both hands as he smiled at James. Within the blink of an eye, Tom ripped Eric's head off with ease as the blood from his arteries began to spew out at the rhythm of his now fading heartbeat.

Tears slowly fell down James' face as he stared at all of the lifeless bodies, some of them still frozen in place.

And just like that, every one of James' new friends were gone.

I'm just curious as to why Time would do that to our oh-so insignificant character. Seriously, why do that to James. Why not someone important like Eric? Oh, yes, he said it's because I keep saying he isn't special. Well, he isn't special, so Time can stop being mean to my characters and killing all of them.

This is a good stopping point for this chapter. Not because I'm out of ideas, but because everyone except James and Tom are dead. So this will be a nice place to breathe, and think about all of the nice backstories that could have been for all of the characters that I just needlessly slaughtered.