When The Clocks Stopped

Chapter Two

I went to school, tired. I didn't want to be there. Not after what I had went through. It has been a rough couple of nights. Days actually. Everyone looked like they were sleepwalking, even the teachers. If it wasn't obvious enough, it doesn't seem like anyone wants to be there.

I did terrible on almost all quizzes, assignments, and tests that day, but could they blame me? Had they went through the letdowns I had this weekend, they probably would have forgotten how to start their cars let alone lecture me on how they expect more of me.

No matter how much I wanted to leave, I couldn't. I sat through every class staring out the windows, dreaming about coming home to both my parents. As much as I wanted it to happen like that, I was very doubtful.

Lunch was a blur. I was hungry because I wasn't given lunch money. I sat at my friends table sleeping. I was the only one sleeping, but I bet at least half of everyone else there wanted to be.

Once the day was over I went home. When I walked into the front door it was like everything around me changed. I felt as if I was stepping into another country. I didn't hear anything, but I saw footprints leading from the front door, to the basement stairs. There was a light shining underneath the door and the door was closed. I slowly walked over to it. Once I got there I put my ear up to it and listened. I didn't hear anything except for some kind of liquid dripping.

I slowly opened the door. We had nice hinges so no sound came from it. I slowly walked down the stairs into our half finished basement where I saw a lamp shined at a black bag hanging from the ceiling with blood dripping out of the bottom. I stopped walking and slowly looked to my left. There I saw a black figure standing towards the wall. It sounded as if it was crying. I turned and ran towards the stairs but something grabbed my foot. I turned and it was my father. He had a fedora on. Black with a white stripe. He told me everything was going to be fine as he lifted up a large kitchen knife. I kicked him in his throat. I ran up the stairs and out the door I had came in. I ran. I ran until I couldn't. I was about a mile to my aunts house. It was getting late. I had been running for at least 4 hours now. I was tired but I had to get to my aunts.

I arrived at my aunts house around 8:30pm. I rang the doorbell and my older cousin, Finn answered the door. He said his parents left an hour ago to go on a trip for a few nights. He let me in and I explained what had happened. He asked if I knew what was in that bag. I told him if I had to guess it would be my mother. He said she wasn't coming back home. Maybe he meant not coming back alive.

He lent me the spare room on the first floor, right next to his younger sister, my older cousin, Cassy. It was around 1:30am when I finally went to sleep. I was woken up by Finn and he was getting ready to leave and he told me it was time to go. I looked over to my clock and it said, Tuesday, March 6th 2025. The day everything changed.