The Devil's Garden

1 - Tick Tock Goes the Clock

Tick, Tock.

Tick, Tock,

Tick, Tock.

The clock was slowly ticking it's way to midnight. It was 11:50 and my life would be ending at midnight tonight. It was peculiar how I knew that. Not even I knew. It was this feeling that I had in my mind, my body, my soul. I just knew.

My heart was beating in a slow and steady rhythm, just like the ticking of the clock.

I was sitting on the beige couch in my own living room that smelled faintly of blood. My blood. The whole room reeked of my blood.  The sight and smell of my own blood made me slightly dizzy but I tried to hold onto consciousness. The huge gashes all over my hand were from...well...I don't exactly remember what it was, it  was slowly dripping onto the light fabric of the cushioned couch and staining it blood red.

11:53.

My heart was starting to beat slower. My eye lids drooped and the cuts on my hand stung even more as I felt Him approach. That "Him" is not who you're thinking of. Not God for he does not exist to me, but the other. His opposite. The devil, death or whatever you want to call him. He is not who he seems though. He could be your dentist, a random pedestrian walking on the sidewalk on his way to work, the creepy neighbor who never leaves his house. No one knows what he looks like. I do not even know. But I know that he is coming.

11:56.

The time is near. I am not scared. I am at peace. I would imagine at such a young age I would be afraid to die, but I'm not. I was prepared. At 19 years of age I was going to die.

11:59.

This was it. He should be near. I heard a rustle from outside. Could it be him? My heart rate accelerated a bit at the thought of seeing who it was. Then I heard the familiar sound of the front door creaking open. I almost managed to smile as I thought about how I intended to fix that door whenever I moved here but I was too busy to even give it a thought.

12:00.

The chime on the grandfather clock that was sitting only 10 feet away from me rang and I jumped. My eyes were wide open and searching all the halls that lead out of my living room. Where was He?

Suddenly I felt light-headed again and my eyes began to droop. My upper body wobbled a little bit and I fell back into the couch as my eyes closed shut. I couldn't move. I was paralyzed. Even though I couldn't move it was like all of my senses were enhanced. I could smell the lavender bushes just outside the window of the kitchen and I could hear the buzzing of fireflies in the summer wind,  I could feel the soft fabric of my couch under my fingertips and one drop of blood slowly slide down my finger and I heard a little splash as it landed on the floor. But what was the loudest and more alarming sound was the heavy sound of boots walking across the carpet and straight to me and the strange smell of men's cologne, roses, and...death. It was Him.

I struggled to open my eyes to see the person standing in front of me but it was like that part of my brain was shut off. Like I completely forgot how to function my eyelids.

"Hello Paige."

My body stiffened a little bit as if I was slowly gaining control of my body. His voice wanted to make me curl up in a ball in the corner of a room and beg for mercy...but it also wanted to make me wrap my arms around him, inhale his perfect but strange scent and never let go.

"H-hello?"

My voice came out raspy and hesitant as if I wasn't trusting my own voice to speak. I cleared my throat and tried to speak again but I was cut off by his beautiful yet scary chuckling.