Hatchetfield Stories

What Tim Wants, Tim Won't Get

This is basically Black Friday from Emma's (and Tim's) perspective.

"I'm writing a fanfiction and they're being cute. Let's make it less cute." 

TRIGGER WARNINGS:
-Death

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Emma opened the microwave one second before it was done, taking the bag of popcorn out and putting it in the bowl she had found in one of the cupboards. "Who's ready to watch a movie?" she asked Tim.

The nine-year-old boy jumped on the couch. "I am!" he shouted as Paul turned on the TV.

Emma closed the curtains so the room would be slightly darker as the movie started playing. After only ten minutes, Tim was asleep on her lap. She stroked his head, tears forming in her eyes. She felt guilty. Guilty for not being there for him the first eight years of his life.

Paul looked at her, he paused the movie. "Poor boy. Being woken up by your dad at five am must be tiring."

Emma nodded, carefully taking the boy in her arms and standing up. "I'm putting him in his bed, I'll be right back."

She carefully walked up the stairs, her leg was still healing from the crash, she could walk but those extra pounds she was carrying caused a dull pain in her thigh.

She opened the door to Tim's bedroom with her foot, the door creaked but luckily he didn't wake up. She carefully placed him down on his bed and covered him with his blanket. She also grabbed the stuffed animal that lied on his pillow and gave it to him. Even in his sleep, he let out a content hum, pulling the bunny close.

She walked back downstairs and sat down next to Paul, resting her head on his shoulder.

"Emma?" he asked. "Why don't you want to call me your boyfriend?"

Emma sighed. "I'm sorry... I just... Ever since Jane died, I've been scared to get attached to people. When I came back from Guatemala, I had no one. I decided that having no friends is better than losing friends. You know, you're probably the first person I've become so close with since I came back." She chuckled sadly. "And I'm sorry I panicked when you called yourself my boyfriend. It just made me realize how close we've become and it freaked me out."

Paul pulled her closer. "I'm sorry, Em, I didn't know. And I'm sorry for telling your family we have sex, that was really weird. How old is your nephew? Ten?"

"Nine."

His cheeks flushed red, "Yeah, he probably didn't know what I was talking about."

"Aunt Emma?" a small voice asked. Tim appeared in the doorway, his bunny still in his hand.

"Yes, Tim?"

"When will dad come back?"

Emma looked at Paul and then back at Tim. "I don't know, buddy. But hey, we can finish the movie!"

Tim nodded and sat down on the couch.

Paul turned the TV back on, but before he switched to the movie player, a news report caught Emma's eye. "Paul, wait a second."

"Hello everyone, this is the Hatchetfield News. My name is Donna and I'm standing in front of the Lakeside Mall, where what we think started as shopper mania, has escalated. So far we're sure there have been twelve lethal fights, but no one can get inside, so there might be more. Even the police are struggling to enter the mall, as some shoppers have blocked both entrances. We'll update you on the situation when we know more. Back to you, Dan."

"Thank you, Donna. Now onto the weather, today it's..."

"Paul? Tom is in there."

"Wait. Dad is in that mall?" Tim asked, tears welling up in his eyes.

Emma grabbed his hand. "Your dad wanted to get your Christmas present, buddy. But don't worry, your dad is a fighter, he wouldn't let anyone kill him." She looked at Paul, desperate for his help.

"Yeah, he was in the military, right?" Paul asked, "He knows how to fight. He seems like a tough guy."

Tim pulled his hand back. "No! I can't lose dad too! We have to go there!"

"Tim..." Emma said calmly. "It's too dangerous to go there, okay? We'll wait for him, he'll come back."

*** *** ***

It was almost eleven pm, but Tim refused to go to sleep, and Emma was starting to freak out. They had tried to call Tom, but there was no service. The news went out an hour ago. Apparently the whole country had gone crazy over this doll. Why? That doll was the ugliest thing Emma had ever seen.

"Tim?" Emma asked, "Can you come here for a second?"

Tim stopped pacing around the room and sat down.

"If your dad won't come back, will you-"

"No! He'll come back! I can't lose him!" He jumped up and ran to his room, the door closing with a loud bang.

Emma sighed, resting her head on Paul's shoulder. "What am I supposed to do? I mean, if Tom's dead, do we take him in? God, Tom better be alive, that kid has already lost his mom."

Paul rubbed her back in a comforting way. "We can go there. See if we can find him and then get the hell out of Hatchetfield."

Emma nodded. She stood up and went upstairs. "Timmy?" she asked, before knocking on the door three times. "I'm coming in."

"No, leave me alone!"

But Emma opened the door anyway. Tim lied on his bed, crying. Emma kneeled down next to him. "Timmy, we're going to the mall to find dad."

Tim immediately sat up. "Really?"

"Really. But we have to get out of Hatchetfield as soon as we find him, okay? So grab some extra clothes, we're leaving in a few minutes."

Tin nodded and wiped his tears away.

Emma went back downstairs and put on her jacket. Paul grabbed one of Tom's jackets, it was late at night and too cold to go without one.

"I'm ready!" Tim said, swinging his school bag over his shoulder. "Let's find dad!"

The ride there was quiet, but Emma's mind was racing. What if they didn't find Tom, or even worse, found his corpse. They had left a note on the kitchen table for if he came home while they were gone, even though Emma expected the worst.

"Okay, Tim, we're almost there. You stay in the car, alright? I know you want to find your dad but it's too dangerous. We'll come back as soon as possible."

Tim nodded.

Emma got out of the car as soon as they were standing still and Paul followed her example. They ran into the mall.

*** *** ***

Aunt Emma had asked Tim to stay in the car. He could do that.

He yawned. It was almost midnight, way past his bedtime.

In the distance, he saw aunt Emma and Paul talk to someone in a red blouse. His dad! He was alive!

More people were there, he saw Hannah, who went to the same school as him, and a few others he didn't recognize. But right now he only cared about his dad. He didn't lose his only parent. He didn't have to live with aunt Emma for the rest of his life.

The group of people got closer together, everyone seemed to look at his father's watch.

Despite what aunt Emma had told him, he unbuckled his seatbelt and got out of the car. He ran across the parking lot.

He could hear the people talking now.

"Three..."

"Two..."

"One..."

A high-pitched noise filled the air. All the adults looked at the sky, eyes growing wide.

A loud boom, a flash of pain, and then... nothing.