10 Days till Death

10 Days

He said I had ten days left to live; in ten days he was coming to kill me. He watches me from my window and lurks beneath my bed. He is everywhere and always watching. Most people wake up to birds singing and sunshine while, I wake up to a bloody knife strung above my head. Walking to my closet I can see his glowing red eyes that hold the fires of Hell staring at me. His tight gauntly skin and sharpened demon like teeth is enough to make anyone scream. I think that is exactly his intent, to make people scream, but not out of fear but for mercy.

"You have to get dressed." My twenty-year-old daughter Olivia tells me.

"He's there." I respond never taking my eyes off the closet.

"Nobody is in your closet. See?" Olivia throws open my closet door and he disappears.

"He's gone now."

"Mom, nobody was ever in your closet. Let's get you dressed now." Olivia pulled out my blue dress and helped me put it on.

She linked her arm into mine and lead me down stairs. She helped me into the car and we started driving. Since, my car accident two months ago, Olivia has been driving me around. Today, we are going to the park. On the way to the park we passed a Sweet Frog.

"I bet their yogurt is ribbiting." Oliva chuckled.

"What?" I looked at her confused.

"Yeah, I bet it's really hoping." Oliva started laughing so hard she was snorting.

"A store can't hop sweetheart." I gently patted her arm.

"Mom, it was a pun. It's supposed to be funny, because their logo is a frog."

"I don't get it." I didn't understand what a frog had to do with a store.

"Don't worry about it." Olivia sighed.

"I'm sorry."

"Don't worry about it, let's just enjoy the park." Olivia pulled into the park and parked the car.

Olivia got us a map, but I had trouble reading it and kept getting us lost. After, the sixth time of passing the duck pond Olivia took the map from me and took us to the big fountain. When Olivia was five, I started the tradition of throwing coins into the park fountain every time we went to the park. We would clutch a coin to our chest and wish really hard then, throw it into the fountain. If the coin landed in the water your wish would come true, but if it landed on the ledge it wouldn't. Oliva's coin landed in the water and mine landed on the ledge. I couldn't help it, I started to laugh. I was laughing because I knew he was the one who kept my coin from the water. He was the one that wouldn't grant me more than ten more days with Olivia.

"Awe, better luck next time. We need to get you home. We wasted a lot of time wandering around in circles." Olivia hugged me.

Olivia helped me into bed, kissed my head, and told me she would see me tomorrow.

"Yes, tomorrow." I told her.

Olivia left and I could hear her lock the door behind her. I will see Olivia tomorrow. I still had nine more days.

There was something dripping on my forehead when I woke up in the morning. Opening my eyes, I wasn't surprised to see a silver gleaming knife covered in blood dangling above my head. It was his favorite way to wake me up. I rolled over, ready to get up, but I was met with those demonic eyes. His laugh was colder than ice and scraped against my skin like sandpaper.

He covered my mouth laughing and whispered, "Don't scream May."

I shot down stairs, his laughter trailing after me as if I was his prey. Over and over he told me not to scream. I had to get out of the house but every window and door were locked. He had trapped me. I didn't have nine more days, I had nine more seconds.