THE END:

It all became really clear to me now. I knew what he meant. My life was a waste, and I deserved to die like this. I lay down in the grass in front of the house and succumbed to powers beyond my will. Gasping my final breath, I closed my eyes only to see a gaping white hole welcoming me into my future.

DAY 4:

I woke up to find myself drenched in a cold sweat and covered in darkness. The TV Guide channel was blasting a loud infomercial for a hand-free can opener and telling me the time was 11:05 p.m. Reaching for the lamp, I nearly toppled off my couch. Light embraced the dark family room and I knew it was coming true. My skin looked as if someone had dipped my in a hot vat of bubbling oil. My legs were bleeding, and I frantically grabbed my head only to feel chunks of hair falling out. I screamed, knowing there was nothing I could do at this point. The mysterious boy was right, my life was wasted. Suddenly, there was a knock at my door. Screaming “HELP!” I threw myself off the couch and dragged my limp body towards the person outside. With every movement my legs and arms felt as if someone was holding a match to my skin. My front door slowly opened as I lay on the cold wood in front of it. I saw a dark shadow standing in front of me. Its shoes clicked on the wood floor as it made its way over to me and dragged me slowly out into my front lawn, where it rolled me on my stomach. The dewy grass blended my tears on my face and ignited the open sores on my legs. The dark shadow of a person crouched next to me, low enough to my ear that when it spoke, I could feel its hot breath on my cheek. “See, not only do I play God, I play the Devil as well.” With that he walked away, leaving me screaming and shaking in the lawn.

DAY 3:

My alarm clock buzzed directly in my ear this morning. I rolled over and felt my stomach twist and churn with every breath in that I took. Maybe I’m coming down with something. I slowly sat up, pulled the covers off, and stepped out of bed, failing to notice the blood stained pillow I left behind. What day is it? Thursday already? Definitely not going to my first two classes… I think I have a test in something. Eh, I’ll take my chances. My feet ached with every step I took away from my bed, and I thought back to the crumpled up note on my floor. Maybe it is true, I thought. I shuffled that idea around as I made my way down to my familiar couch, plopping down on it and giving my aching feet a rest.

DAY 2:

I skipped school today. I didn’t feel like going when I knew that nothing I would learn would have any importance to me at all. The light shone through the slanted blinds beside my lumpy couch to reflect the tiny floating dust particles hanging midair right in front of my face. I blew some around, wishing I wasn’t in this house all alone. Then there would be someone here to clean. I snatched up my book bag lying on the floor next to me and hastily unzipped it, hoping to find the latest Mad Magazine that I’d stolen from the 7-11 on the way to school yesterday. Blindly, I pulled out the first thing I felt and glanced down at the folded piece of notebook paper in my hands. What the hell is this? I thought, as I opened the folds and glanced down at the scribbled note. I read the short statement written on it, re-read it, and then laughed loudly as I crumpled the paper up in my fist. It said:

Everyone is here for a reason. You have destroyed your future by ruining your past. Therefore, I give you five days to live. – Your God.

Good joke. Throwing the paper across the room, I flicked the TV back on. The paper rolled around on the dusty wood floor, landing directly under a framed picture hanging on the wall. The picture was of three smiling people, hugging together for the holiday season. There was a well-lit Christmas tree in the background, and you could tell they were happy.

DAY 1:

“I wrote this for you.” He spoke loudly enough to wake me up from my daily nap during Professor Clayton’s monotonous lecture about God knows what. I stared up at him, dusting away the sleep from my eyes and surreptitiously wiping the drool from the desktop in front of me. His gleaming brown eyes glanced at me hopefully as he handed me the folded up piece of paper.

“I hope you appreciate this,” he said, “I know it’s…well…have a nice day, Hannah.” With that he got up and left, waddling somewhat to support his rather burly frame. I glanced around, wondering if anyone else shared in my sense of mystification.

The lecture was over and everyone was bustling about, packing their broken-in books and ink-filled notebooks into their backpacks and preparing to travel to wherever it is they needed to be. I hastily shoved the note in between the pages of my blank notebook and threw it in my bag, thinking it was just another invitation to some frat party with half naked girls on the front. I slowly walked out of the lecture hall, still a little groggy from my nap.

———————

I watched her scream and eventually die from my place in the yard. This knife needs sharpening, I thought as I whittled away a branch I’d found into a point. She deserved to die, they all deserved to die. I refolded the note in my pocket as I planned my route to Katie’s house. Heard she’d been having some troubles with the law. We don’t need any criminals in this part of town.