Countdown (Short Story)

The Lone Chapter

"I don't want this!" Mari screamed, throwing her timer-encased arm in the air as she spoke. The time flashed a threatening hour left before she met her soul mate.

"Please, dear, calm down. I'm sure you'll love him when you meet him," her mother tried to assure her, her voice calm and sure. Mari shook her head violently, eyes full of anger. She thought of who she loved. Thought of how his clock was three days later than her's.

Soul mates? More like a master scam.

Mari's parents had given her the clock as a baby, wanting her to avoid heartbreak. Instead, they threw her right into the middle of it. She had fallen in love with someone who's clock was not in sync with her's, which was forbidden.

"This is all just a big scam! I will never fall in love with someone I have just met!" she yelled, "I'll prove it!"

With that, she stomped out the door and into the forest outside.

She trekked through the forest, listening to the birds and animals of the forest. Trying to get as far away from any human that could possibly be close by. She stopped as the watch hit eleven seconds, forcing a cruel laugh. The clock would hit zero, and no one would be there.

Ten. Absolute silence.

Nine.

Eight.

Seven. A flock of birds flying.

Six. The rustle of bushes.

Five. A twig snapping.

Four. A loud breath.

Three. Footsteps nearby.

Two. A war cry.

The world rushed by as Mari was hit with a blow to the chest. Falling to the ground, she let out a short, loud cry. Struggling, she could not lift herself over the weight over her attacker. She opened her eyes to see a pair of sea blue eyes.

The cold stare widened to shock as the loud alarm of the clocks reaching zero filled the woods.