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Original story below, but you can find a completely revamped version in my collection "The Fall of Souls: and six other twisted stories about unlikable people", available on Amazon!
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A red water balloon smacked me in the face.
“Seriously?” I yelled, drenched as I glared at the grinning, freckled kid.
One of his friends threw another, and I barely dodged it as it ruptured against the asphalt.
A frazzled mother yelled out an apology over the brats’ laughter, but it did no good as a hail of water balloons came sailing over. I dodged them too, running until I was out of range. I hated kids.
I checked my phone. It was spared. I checked the time. 5:28pm. David’s house came into view as I turned the corner, and I wrung out my shirt the best I could before I jogged over and lept on the porch. The sooner I got this over with, the sooner I could enjoy my Friday.
Fidgeting with my keychain, I found his keys and unlocked the four bolts. David’s house always smelled like mothballs, and it was even more noticeable now that he was on vacation.
I took off my shoes near the door, as per his rules, and made my way to the kitchen to fill his watering can. I hated plants as much as I hated kids, but David was a good friend. A good friend with a lot of money he was willing to offer if I looked after his amateur greenhouse.
With my earbuds in, I bobbed my head to the music as I watered the plants in the living room, library, and sunroom. After making sure they were angled as per David’s illustrated notes, I refilled the watering can and made my way upstairs.
The first thing that should’ve struck me as strange was the hallway dresser, one of its drawers ajar. David was so meticulous, a ruler was his soulmate. He’d have declared an emergency if he saw his dresser in such disarray. So, naturally, I closed the drawer and made my way to the study.
Passing the bedroom, I stopped in my tracks, taking a baffled moment to register the abnormal mess in there.
A long enough moment for the two masked men responsible for the mess to charge at me.
I gasped and threw the watering can at them, but all that did was make them wet. Wet and angry. I tried to run, but one guy grabbed my neck and slammed me face-first into the wall.
“Who are you?” he asked, ripping my earbuds out.
“I’m th-the water … the plant … I plant the water … water the plants,” I stammered, my racing pulse thudding against his grip.
“He’s useless,” the other guy said. “Just stuff him somewhere. We don’t have all day.”
Apparently, their day was more important than mine as they taped me up and threw me inside a bare oak wardrobe. I cried out in pain as I landed on my ass, and after they slammed the door shut, I cried out again as a red water balloon smacked me in the face.
I gasped and jumped back, my heart in a frenzy as I looked over at the grinning, freckled kid surrounded by his friends.
Another water balloon flew towards me, rupturing against my hip as I stood there, discombobulated.
A frazzled mother apologized over the obnoxious guffaws of the hellions in her yard.
A storm of colorful projectiles soared towards me, and I snapped out of my stupor, running as fast as I could until I was right outside David's house.
Trembling and soaking wet, I checked my phone.
5:29pm.
Did … did I just go back in time?
How?
I yelped as my ringtone chimed. It was David.
"H-hello?"
"Imran, where are you?"
"I … I'm right outside your place. But I was in your place, and there were two robbers there and they caught me and threw me in your bedroom wardrobe … and … and now I'm back out here … in the past somehow. I don't know what happened ..."
“What took you to my bedroom?”
“I … it was a mess,” I said, startled by the unexpected severity of his tone. “I was on my way to the study to water your plants and saw the mess and—”
“Why did you go in?”
“I didn’t. I tried to run but they caught me. David, what's going on?"
He remained silent.
"David?"
"Yes, you went back in time. Right now, I need you to—”
I gawked. "Wait, how?"
"I'll explain everything later, I promise. But right now I need you to help me stop the robbers from causing any damage to my property."
"I … okay? Should I call the police?"
“No!” He coughed, composing himself. “No, I need you to go back in and tell them ‘what you’re looking for has been sold’. The moment they hear that, they’ll leave.”
“Do you know them?”
“I’m certain they’re after a coveted antique I got at an auction.” He let out a grateful sigh. “You’re a wonderful friend and I really appreciate this. I promise I’ll reward you for your help.”
“Oh, let’s not worry about that right now,” I said, perking up.
"Good luck. Call me once it's over."
"Of course."
I hung up and hustled up David’s porch, fumbling with the keys as my hands shook with lingering adrenaline. As I kicked off my shoes, I shot an uneasy glance at the stairs leading up.
I had no idea what was going on, but the sooner I got rid of the robbers, the sooner I'd learn how I jumped back in time.
With a deep breath, I walked up. The dresser drawer was ajar, but the bedroom was in perfect condition, just as David would’ve left it.
Was this a different timeline? Or had the robbers not gotten to the bedroom yet? The last time, I did spend a few minutes watering the plants before I came up here ...
I screamed as someone tackled me from the back. “Who are you?” a familiar voice asked as the man it belonged to pinned me to the floor.
“I w-water the plants,” I wheezed, squashed beneath him.
“He’s useless,” the second familiar-voiced guy said. “Just stuff him somewhere. We don’t have all day.”
“Wait, wait! What you’re looking for has already been sold!"
“What did he say?”
The first guy picked me up and slammed me against the wall, and I cried out as the back of my head bounced hard, my brain rattling inside my skull.
“What did you say?”
“Wh-what you’re for ... looking for has been sold,” I stammered, disoriented as my ears rang to the beat of my spasming heart.
I waited for them to gasp in shock. To let me go. To run out of the house in a panic.
They were definitely shocked, but they didn’t let me go, and I gulped when their expression shifted to rage. More rage than when they caught me before. I got a sinking feeling David's plan was veering in the wrong direction.
Panicking, I pushed against the man, my legs jerking as I tried to kick him. He didn’t budge, and my efforts were rewarded by a searing pain in my side.
Gasping, I looked down in horror to see the second man yank a blade out of my body. He stabbed me again. And a third time. And a fourth. In rapid, furious succession.
I lost count after five, my dwindling screams muffled beneath a gloved hand.
They finally let me go and I collapsed, the shrill ringing of my ears deafening. My breaths croaked as I tried to stop the bleeding, my weak hands flopping from one spurting wound to the other.
I looked around, my narrow vision surreal. My phone lay smashed on the floor. The robbers didn’t seem to be here. They must've left me to bleed to death. David's plan didn't work. I wished he told me how I jumped back in time. I could've saved myself ...
My distressed eyes landed on the oak wardrobe. When the robbers threw me in there, I jumped back in time the moment they shut the door.
It had to be the wardrobe. They obviously didn’t know about it, or else they wouldn’t have stashed me in there.
I didn't know how it worked, I didn't know if I was right, but I had nothing to lose.
I crawled, a cold sweat prickling my skin as stars flashed before my eyes. Each strained breath squeaked through my punctured lungs, my wounds searing with an ice-cold fire as they coated the carpet.
A shadow washed over my vision, slowly eating it until it matched the void taking over my mind. The only thought left was urgency.
Get to the wardrobe before I die.
Get to the wardrobe fast enough to jump back in time before the robbers started stabbing me.
It seemed to be drifting away the more I crawled, and tears, snot, drool, and blood dripped from my face and I cried, wheezing with every strenuous move.
My head bumped into something hard.
I made it.
Releasing a gurgle of hope, I flung open the wardrobe and tumbled in. With the last of my energy, I hooked my fingers around the edge of the door, whimpering as I struggled to pull it closed.
After an eon, my fingers became sandwiched between two corners, and I pulled them free, crying in anxious relief at the sound of wood on wood.
I found myself outside David's house, my phone pressed to my ear. Letting out a grateful sob, I ducked behind the bushes near his garage, shaking as I wept.
"Imran?" David asked.
I made it.
Soaking wet with water, not blood.
It really was the wardrobe.
“Imran? Are you there?”
“David." My voice trembled. “I jumped back in time again. There are robbers in your place and you said last time I should tell them what they wanted was sold, and I did ... and they st-stabbed me. Left me to die. I was barely able to make it to the wardrobe.”
“Right, the wardrobe," he said after a pause. "Thank goodness you figured it out. Are you alright?”
“No, not really.” I wiped my tears, the fresh memory vivid. “And the robbers are still in there. Or, these robbers are. Wait, how does this work? Is it a different timeline each time or is the same one being rewinded?”
“We’ll talk about that later. What’s important now is you. Where are you?”
“I’m right outside your place, hiding behind the bushes near your garage.”
“I want you to stay there until they leave.”
“Why?”
“I want you to record what car they get into.”
“Oh. That … that I can do.”
“Thank you so much. You have no idea how much this means to me. I’ll be sure to reward you in any way you wish.”
“Sure, anything I can do to help … without, you know, getting hurt again.”
“Of course, I’m terribly sorry that happened.”
“It’s okay, it’s not like you knew.”
“Right. Well, contact me immediately if anything comes up. Okay?”
“Of course."
“Good luck.”
I hung up, hugging myself as I peeked through the leaves. This wasn’t the best vantage point. I couldn’t even see the street. Taking a deep breath, I hunched over and scurried all the way to the opposite side, my pulse racing as I dove behind a tree. The view was much better here, and I crouched down and prepared my phone.
Questions roamed in my head as I waited. As far as I could tell, with each jump, I inhabited my older body while keeping all my memories. But it didn't seem like anyone else was aware of the replay. I couldn't wait until this was over so David could tell me more. Could the jump be adjusted? How did David come to possess something like this? What did he use it for?
Footsteps approached from the back of the house, and I held my breath as the two robbers appeared. I recorded them walking across the yard, and my heart dropped when they began searching the bushes beside the garage, their knives drawn.
How on Earth did they overhear me talking on the phone?
“There’s no one here,” one guy grumbled before he looked around. “And I can’t see any neighbors through all these trees, so how’s anyone able to see anyone hiding here?”
“Maybe we heard an old message.”
“That’s not how answering machines work. We heard a live message.”
“The guy said he was driving by, so he must’ve seen him from the street.”
“Well, I don’t see anyone hiding here.”
“Who still uses answering machines anyways?”
“Antique snobs, that’s who.” He kicked at the bushes, and I jumped when a startled cat hissed and scrambled out.
Both men scoffed. “It was just a damn cat,” one said, rolling his eyes. “That guy needs new glasses.”
They walked to the back of the house again, but my pulse continued to race in disbelief as I sat there, crouched behind the tree, my recording phone forgotten in my tense hands.
No cars passed by during my conversation with David.
No one knew where I was except for David.
Did he leave a message on his own answering machine, ratting me out?
Was he … trying to kill me?
Was it because I discovered his wardrobe? Why wouldn’t he just talk to me about it? How could he lie through his teeth as he planned my murder at the hands of these criminals?
Nausea churned my stomach. We weren’t as good as friends as I thought. Yes, our relationship was mutually beneficial, but we both knew we wouldn't care if the other died. I just didn’t realize that extended to murder.
I wished I’d never told him about the jump.
I sat up. That could be possible.
I checked the time. If I could make it to the wardrobe within the next two minutes, I could probably jump back to before David called, and I could just let him know he was being robbed.
Or, I could run away from this entire mess, money be damned. I knew his truth now, his ugly, twisted heart. I didn’t think I could remain friends with someone so ready to mow down others to protect his secret.
But that secret. I was still fascinated. I wanted to know more. If we remained friends, I’d keep having access to his house. To that wardrobe. I could explore its possibilities.
I couldn’t waste anymore time thinking about this. I had to figure out how to sneak in without the men noticing me. Taking a deep breath, I dashed up the porch, unlocked the four bolts, and sneaked into the living room, not bothering to take off my shoes.
Determination muting my apprehension, I turned on the television and blasted the volume before I darted to the kitchen. As expected, the two men rushed down in bewildered aggression, and the moment they passed by, I zipped upstairs and dove into the wardrobe.
The screeching sound of children playing filled my ears, and I turned just in time to see the freckled kid hurling a red water balloon at my face.
I ducked, and the rabid gang of demon spawn took the challenge, sending a hailstorm of wobbly rubber at me. I ran as fast as I could to the sound of the frazzled mom's apologies, only stopping once I was out of range.
Now that the screeching was distant, I realized my phone was ringing.
"Hello?"
"Imran, where are you?"
"I'm outside your place,” I said, my anxious heart fluttering. “There are two men inside, robbing it. They didn’t see me and I ran out right away and called you. Should I call the police?”
“Imran, why are you lying to me?”
I froze. “Wh-what do you mean?”
“Time wipes don't affect the memories of the portal master. I know you jumped back. Three times.”
My mouth fell open as my stomach dropped.
“You thought you could pull a fast one on me?” he asked, an unsettling calmness tinting his sinister tone.
“No! I just wanted you to stop trying to kill me!”
"I'd hoped they'd be successful attempts, but to my defense, they were rather hasty plans."
"Why do you want to kill me?"
"Because I'm far away and can't perform a time wipe, so I have to rely on less than optimal methods to guarantee you won't steal the portal."
"What? I don't want to steal it! I just wanted you to teach me about it!"
“No, there’s no longer anything between us now that we've both shown our true colors. Go home. I'll cut my vacation short and fly in tonight to wipe time back to this morning. I'll then fly in early and spare you an interaction with the burglars. We'll remain good friends. But, if I find out you've stolen the portal, just know I will find you, and I will make sure you regret it."
He hung up, leaving me shaking with tension and trepidation. I should've seen this coming. He didn't call me originally. He only started calling after the first jump. I should've noticed that discrepancy.
The thought of losing memory of everything that happened today while David retained everything terrified me.
Had he done this before? To others? To me? He could've insulted, hurt, tortured, or even killed me multiple times over, only to wipe it into oblivion.
Although I'd be back as a previous untraumatized version, David had no right to manipulate time and people like this!
I just didn't know what to do.
I could hack the wardrobe to pieces and bury them where he'll never find them. Then I could run so he'll never find me.
Or, I could make his concern a reality and steal the portal. I could figure out how to become its master so that David was no longer in control. I could learn how to use it so that he would never find me. Or it.
Yes, I could do that.
The End
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(Read on for a Behind the Scenes)