Jackie Wilcox, young and fresh out of college, was never more excited in her life when her dream finally came true. All her hard work, the sleepless nights studying and writing, perfecting her work, had finally paid off when the local big city paper finally hired her as a photo-journalist. She worked hard over the next few years establishing her name in the industry and making a career woman out of her. Everything was perfect in her life. Almost.
The only thorn in her side was she was lonely. She dreaded coming home after a long day’s work to an empty apartment. She missed her family and the days in college when friends were just a few steps down the hall. That’s why she said yes when her brother asked to move in.
John was the definition of gothic, at least on the outside. He was covered in black and chains every day, from his clothes, right down to his black painted fingernails. He loved all things occult. He covered his room in death metal band posters, pictures of witches and werewolves, and dried roses. His shelves were littered with horror books and movies, and it scared a lot of people. Except Jackie. All the scary darkness in the world couldn’t change Jackie’s view of her baby brother as the straight A’s Boy Scout he used to be, and deep down, still was. So when he graduated High School and got accepted into a college in the city, Jackie was thrilled when he asked to move in.
Weeks turned into months after John moved in, and they were both had fun living with each other. A random Saturday afternoon, Jackie sat in the living room, working on her next expository article. A loud knocking burst from the door. Jackie sat her laptop on the coffee table and walked to the door. She opened to find a life size skeleton holding a clock staring back at her. She let out a shriek and stumbled back a little.
“Isn’t it ******** awesome?!” John exclaimed as his head appeared to the side of the skeleton.
“What the hell is it?!” Jackie said with a hint of distress in her voice.
“It’s this wicked Grandfather clock I found in a shop.” John said as he pushed the clock into the apartment. “Do you like it?”
Jackie analyzed the clock up and down for a minute, taking it in. It stood just under six feet tall. A realistic human skeleton clutched a gothic clock face to its chest. The hands on the face pointed to twelve and halfway between nine and ten. The skeleton was etched into a mahogany base, and she could now see that the two were attached very skillfully together. She was amazed at the detail put into it, every crack and cranny placed exactly right, as if it were real bones. “It’s creepy.” She finally replied truthfully.
“Well I like it. It didn’t cost much either. I practically stole it from the guy.” John wheeled the clock into the apartment and into his room with Jackie shortly behind him. He parked the clock in the corner of his room. Jackie glanced into the black abysses it had for eyes and she felt like it was staring back at her. She walked across the room and sat on his bed, and she could feel the clock following her with it’s nonexistent eyes. A sickness set in her stomache.
“I really wish you would get rid of it.” She said dryly.
“No way! It’s too awesome!” John said excitedly looking at the clock. “The only thing wrong is that it doesn’t work right. I’m going to try to fix it.”
* * *
That night, Jackie shifted uncomfortably through the night. A cold chill ran along her back. She woke up with a start. She looked at her alarm clock. Quarter till one. She went back to sleep again.
* * *
The next morning, she dressed in a casual business blazer, matching skirt, and high heels. She gathered her papers and belongings and walked to John’s room. The first thing she noticed was the clock staring at her again, but really not. John was sitting on the floor next to it with an open toolbox, and fiddling with the gears inside the clock. Jackie didn’t take her eyes off the clock.
“ I have to go to work. There’s a big election coming up and they need me there. I’ll see you tonight, okay?”
“ Dammit!” John yelled from inside the clock.
“What’s wrong?”
“I’ve tried everything, but I can’t get it to stop pointing to twelve forty seven!”
“We can take it to a repair shop in the morning, but I have to go. Later.” John said nothing, and went at the clock with a wrench. Jackie walked out of the apartment building and into the street. She walked along the sidewalk, until her heel snapped. She tripped, twisted her ankle, and fell into the open street, her papers flying everywhere. “********!” She yelled at her own luck. Loud beeping and screeching sounded behind her, coming from a bus. She screamed and ducked into the safety of the sidewalk. The bus honked angrily at her as it passed. Jackie pulled out her cell phone and dialed her work a she gathered what she could of her papers. A wispy voice answered the other line.
“Hey, Julie. I’m going to be late. Long story.”
* * *
That night, she slept sound, and woke up in the middle of the night. She shivered violently from the cold, and pulled up her comforter. A boney hand gripped her open doorway, and slowly, it emerged. The skeleton stood in the doorway, and dropped the clock face on the floor. It walked towards her, each step, each movement emitting a loud cracking sound from the force of the bones moving. Jackie screamed till her lungs burst. The skeleton gripped its claw like hands around her throat and strangled her, shaking her violently. The knuckles cracked and snapped at every motion. Jackie grabbed the forearms of the skeleton, trying to release her, trying to live. Finally her screams were silenced. Her arms released and fell to her side.
Jackie woke up again, sucking air into her lungs like there wasn’t much left. After a minute of panting, she gathered herself and realized that it hadn’t really happened. Jackie didn’t care if it wasn’t real. She pushed her covers away and sped to John’s room. She glared with hatred at the clock.
“What the ******** do you want with me?!?!” She screamed at the clock. It just stood there. She grabbed a hammer from the toolbox and smashed it into the skeleton. “Answer me, you ********! God damn you! Answer me!” She shouted violently and pounded into the wood. Chips and gears flew to the floor with each strike. With all her strength left she slammed it once more into the face of the clock, smashing the jaw. The clock wobbled backwards, then forwards, and fell on Jackie. The force of the fall sent her to the ground, and drived the claw of the hammer right into her throat.
John ran in at that second, and pulled the clock off of her. “Oh my god! Oh my god!” John exclaimed, and he watched the blood spew from Jackie’s neck.
Jackie looked at the clock again, and could see the satisfied look in its eyes. She looked at the hands pointing to twelve forty seven. She saw in the corner of her eye John’s alarm clock with glowing red numbers that read 12:47. She looked at the clock again, but the clock didn’t look at her. She could feel the clock glaring at John. The hands on the clock shifted for the first time and pointed to three twenty six. Jackie tried with all her strength to scream at John. To warn him, but nothing came from her shattered throat. All that came out was a gargled “clock…..” Jackie’s eyes closed. They never opened again.
Elijah Frost Community Member 
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