(writing prompt from wattpad #JustWriteDay)
"Nico!" Pam shouted from across our busy program area, immediately making me cringe. I abhorred it when she called me that. My head throbbed horribly, more so around loud noises, and Pam was always loud, she didn't have volume control.
"Hi Pam," I said sweetly, though my inner self wanted to run far away from the situation, find somewhere secluded, and crawl out after another sleepless birthday night had passed.
"Happy Birthday Nico," she said excitedly, pure joy lighting her face.
I'm a horrible person, I thought to myself, as I watched her buzz around the room sharing the birthday news with her peers. She approached again, her voice rising to new heights as she led everyone in song. I quickly plastered a false smile on my face and reluctantly joined the group of happy, smiling faces.
Fuck, I hate birthdays.
Four long hours later, my work day was done. I was mentally, emotionally and physically exhausted and I wanted nothing more than to just sleep, but last nights nightmares still haunted me, and I was afraid to close my eyes knowing what waited for me later.
Every birthday since I was seven, there would be a knock at my door precisely at midnight. You might think that it's not that unusual, people do crazy shit all the time. But first I'd like to point out that no one is ever at the door, which is creepy as hell, and second, well the second part gives me the greatest anxiety. The knock comes to any door I happen to be behind.
The earliest knock I remember came to my bedroom door when I was seven and then again when I was eight. For the longest time I thought it was my brother playing a prank on me. He was a total shit, so It was easy to place the blame on him. But then on my tenth birthday, I went to stay with my Grandparents who lived several hours away. It was one of the best birthdays I remember, and when it was over, I fell into an exhausted sleep. When midnight came, I barely roused when a knock rattled the bedroom door. After a short silence a second knock came, more insistent than the first. Sleepily rubbing my eyes, I pushed the covers away, yawning when a third knock echoed through the small room. Peering at the bed side clock it showed 12:00. Naively, I rushed to answer the door and just as always, there was no one there. Terrified I slammed the door and hid under my covers until morning. I never slept again that night and I refused to have another sleep over at my grandparents.
The knocking continued, always at midnight on my birthday. Two years ago it came to my dorm room. That was the year I discovered that only I could hear it.
My roommate and I were up late celebrating my birthday with pizza and retro video games. We'd flipped for it, and Super Metroid won out over Twisted Metal. Though I totally intended on battling it out on Twisted Metal later. Samus was in my tender loving care when a knock came at our door. Having an intense fight against Draygon, I couldn't be bothered to pause the game so I asked Jordan to get it, to which I got a "huh?".
"The Door? Someone's knocking."
Jordan's head shook a negative. "That's the pepperoni talking, there ain't no one knocking. You're hallucinating."
"I'm not hearing things dumb ass."
The knock came again, and I tossed the controller to Jordan, sending Samus to her doom. Throwing the door open, I glared at the empty space.
"I told you," came Jordan's snarky reply.
I learned there wasn't much point having friends around for the midnight knocking, everyone thought I was "hearing things".
Maybe I was.
Tipping back a cold drink, I closed my eyes and relaxed against the cool fabric of my sofa.
