The Count Down

The Beginning

As I wait for my best friend, Abigail, to accept my FaceTime request, my eyes dart all around the room. My bedroom is silent except for the buzzing on my laptop. In the quiet of this sleeping house, every noise sets me on edge. Cool night air filters in from my window and tickles my cheeks. Goosebumps raise on my arms, and I frantically rub them away. 

When it seems like my heart will jump out of my throat, her face finally appears on the screen of my dusty, old laptop. Her dark brown hair is pulled up into a "messy" bun that still manages to be perfect. Her skin shines under the harsh light of her lamp. 

"Abigail! What took you so long?" I whine, "I was bored." I stick my lower lip out into a pout. I mask my fear with humor. I've been calling her for thirty minutes. When she didn't pick up, I started getting a bit nervous. I try to play it off as my normal clinginess. 

"Haven't you heard?" she gasps, "I'm going to die soon." I roll my eyes as she tries to mimic a frightened expression. Her fake eyelashes touch the bottom of her drawn on brows. 

"Oh, stop being so dramatic," I laugh, "You know that thing on your phone is just a prank, right?" I blow out an exasperated breath. My heart rate is finally starting to slow. Seeing her safe is allowing me to slowly release all of my dread.

"No one knows for sure, Sabrina!" she reasons, "Getting a pop-up saying that I'm going to die on May 14th at 3:47 a.m. is pretty strange. So, I thought I should spend my last hours doing something that I love." There's a glint in her eye that makes me nervous, and the right side of her slightly smeared, red lips lift up.

"And what was that?" I ask cautiously. I know Abigail, and I know the answer can't be good.

"Justin just left! My parents are out of town," she gushes shamelessly," and oh my god that boy is h-" My hands fly up to my ears as I start humming loudly. My face scrunches up in disgust. Gross! I will never be able to look at Justin the same way again. 

"Ew!" Abigail just keeps giggling while I pretend to gag. Her perfectly white teeth are glaring as she flashes an accomplished smile. Her caramel skin shines under the bright lamp on her bedroom desk. What I first mistook as highlight now looks like a sheen of sweat. A thought hits me suddenly.

"Wait..." I start, "Aren't you dating Steven?" I know Abigail does bad things, but cheating seems pretty low. Doing something like that to sweet Steven is just cruel. My stomach curls with a tight rope of jealousy, and some happiness. If she dumped him, then maybe I have a chance to... 

 Instead of speaking, she just raises her manicured finger up to her lips and winks. 

"He'll never know," she says. Abigail just puts out a small handheld mirror to fix her makeup while I sit flabbergasted. My initial happiness dissolves. She knows how I feel about cheating! How can she be so fucking selfish that keeping Steven isn't enough for her?

"Abigail! How could you?" I exclaim. I need to hold back the words wanting to spew from my mouth. 

"What?" she responds defensively. "Steven will never suspect that I'm sleeping with his best friend, so why shouldn't I take advantage of this opportunity?"

"You can't just go around fucking everything that moves while you're with Steven." I seethe. The sharp anger coursing through me is taking away every filter I have.

The smile on her face falls suddenly. Her blue eyes seem to darken as they shrink to slits. Her friendliness is gone, and suddenly she seems like a completely different person. 

" I didn't do anything really bad, and Steven will never find out," she says. Her scowl is a challenge, and I don't back down. 

"Unless I tell him," I interrupt. We compete in a staring match as I attempt a burning glare through the computer screen. My initial humor has quickly evaporating. She bares her teeth as she leans forward towards the camera. Her long nails seem to leave gouges in the desk. 

"If you go blabbing your mouth, I'll leave you. I know I'm the only friend you will find in your miserable life, but getting rid of you won't hurt me. So, you aren't going to tell him, will you?" she replies sweetly. Her smile looks like a warning.

My throat constricts. I would argue, but I know that she's right. She is the only friend I have. As I open my mouth to say I won't tell, I see a glint in the hallway behind Abigail. The middle of her doorway looks darker than the sides. I squint to make out what might be there. It takes me a few seconds to realize that the glint is at the end of a long dark shadow, and that the shadow is moving. Ice seems to shoot through my chest and cut my throat.

"Abigail! Abigail! Behind you! There's someone behind you!" I screech. I grip the edge of my table in fear. The shadow starts inching forward as the glint is revealed to be five thin knives attached to freakishly long fingers. The rest of the intruder is still soaked in darkness. 

"Oh, please," Abigail rolls her eyes," Now you're trying to scare me? You're just trying to change the topic, cause you can't accept that you're a fat, friendless bitch." I slam my hands on my desk as tears begin to fill my eyes. 

"Abigail! Please! Turn around!" I cry hysterically. The shadow is still coming forward to create the form of a what seems like a hybrid between a man and a monster. He is so tall he needs to hunch over to fit in the room. He is making his way to Abigail in a spider-like motion. He is moving very slowly, but seems calm. Suddenly, he jerks forward. 

"I can't believe you're pulling this shi-"

Abigail's sentence is cut off as a large red smile opens up on her thin throat. I scream as her head swings back and blood spurts out from the slice. The figure, covered in black, leans in to the camera as Abigail bleeds out.  

"Just smile," the figure whispers in a sing-song voice. His mouth opens in what seems like a smile to reveal multiple rows of sharp teeth. He taps the top of his wrist with the blood-soaked blade on his pointer finger before the screen goes black. My breath comes out in short bursts as I look at my clock. It is 3:47 a.m. I scream.