I was getting very tired of this. I checked the alarm clock that sat beside my bed. The big, red numbers read “4;44.” Great. Now I’m going to be tired for work tomorrow. Someone has called me 5 times! I didn’t plan on answering the phone but I might have to if this person doesn’t leave me alone!
Ring Ring Ring
“Who is this and why do you keep calling me,” I groggily whisper-yell into the phone. “It’s Sarah.” My heart dropped. Sarah? “That’s not possible. Sarah died a few weeks ago,” I say. The other person goes silent for a moment and I almost hung up the phone. “I’m not lying. It really is me,” the other voice says. She sounds exactly like Sarah and now I’m starting to doubt myself. “Is it actually you? Did you really survive,” I questioned, needing the answer right now.
“You can’t get rid of me that easily,” she says. That’s Sarah. There’s no doubt anymore. But how? How is she alive? There was even a funeral.
“How? How are you alive,” I whisper, praying she doesn’t know where I am right now.
“When stupid people do stupid things it’s pretty easy to survive. Honestly I think everyone except you knew I was alive. People just don’t like you anymore,” she says, tauntingly.
I put Sarah on speaker while I text my best friend. “Did you know Sarah is alive,” I type out. The message was read a few moments later, the typing bubbles popping up.
“Don’t talk to me,” the message said.
“What did you do Sarah? Sarah! What did you do,” I yelled, heading laughter come from the other side. Do they know? Does everyone know?
“I told them the truth. I told them you’re a heartless,” oh god. “Cold blooded,” please don’t tell me “Murderer,” she told them “Nice dog you have there,” she says. What? Did she take my dog? No… my dogs in the living room on the couch. “Sarah? Are you here,” I ask, dreading the response. Through the phone I hear the noise of something scraping glass. Is that… a knife?? What window is she at?
“This is what I call payback,” she says before hanging up the phone. Payback?! Just then, I get a text from my best friend. “Look outside your window.”
The first time I saw the announcement I didn’t think it was true. It was just a normal,boring day. I was making breakfast for my family when my heart stopped. “Due to overpopulation, one member of every household must be sacrificed.” The only people in my house were me, my two younger sisters, and my mom.
These men all over the world slowly started moving house to house, taking the member who was chosen as a sacrifice. The worst part was the phone calls. Calls of friends and family saying goodbye, chosen to be killed off. Our neighborhood was next and we knew we had to decide who was going to be sacrificed sooner or later.
We sat at the table in silence. Tomorrow was the day they came to our house. It was time to choose. The silence was louder then anything in the world till my mom finally broke it. “I’ll sacrifice myself. Your brother is 18 and can help take care of you. It’ll be hard, but it needs to be done.” No.. My little sisters can’t live without a parent. “I’ll sacrifice myself. They need you, mom. I can’t let my little sisters live without a mom.” I said to her, knowing she would say no. “I am your mother. I will be sacrificing myself and that is final.” I pushed my chair out and left the table, silently crying.
I won’t let her sacrifice herself. I need to make a pla-“Isaac, your friend is at the door ”my mom yelled. I didn’t want to talk to anybody right now but I couldn’t just turn him away. Not with what is happening right now.
I walk downstairs and open the front door. I step out onto the porch and immediately get hugged by Christopher, my best friend. I’ve never seen him cry so hard before. “Isaac! My parents are sacrificing me! I don’t want to die!” Oh god. I’m losing him too? I won’t let him die alone. No way. “Don’t worry Chris, you won’t die alone. I have a plan for when they come tomorrow,” I whisper into his ear,” my mom wants to sacrifice herself but I’m not gonna let her. Because we’re neighbors, we’ll be taken at the same time. I’m gonna sacrifice myself and go with you. I promise.” Now I’m crying.
The next day comes too fast, and before I know it my whole family is lined up in the living room. A tall man with his face covered is standing in front of us. “Who’s the sacrifice,” he asks, eyeing down each of us. I don’t even give my mom a chance to speak. “I am,” I calmly say, watching my mom look at me in horror. “Isaac no! Please, you can’t take- you can’t take my son!” She screams. She begs them to take her instead but once someone says they are the sacrifice there is no going back. Her screams get quieter and quieter as they walk me to the car.
Chris is already in there, shaking and crying. I sit next to him and hug him. I’m trying so hard not to cry but I can’t help it. I’m scared. I’m really scared. The drive only took about an hour but it felt like five minutes. The whole time I was hugging Chris, both of us shaking.
We finally arrive at the place. It’s terrible. It’s scary. We get out of the car and I walk next to him the whole time. They wouldn’t separate us. I’d make sure of it.
After a lot of convincing, they let us sit in the same room while we waited. It was a simple process. You face the wall and put your hands behind your back. Then you were shot. Nothing else. Due to Chris and I being in the same room, two workers were brought in instead of one. We lined up against the wall and the 10 second countdown started.
“Thanks for being here Isaac, I don’t know what I would do without you.”
“You’re welcome Christopher. I’m gonna miss you.”
“Me too ,Isaac, me too.”
I grabbed his hand and held it tightly, not caring that it was against the rules to remove your hand from your back. The countdown was almost finished.
“3” “2” “1”
Tears run down her cheek She sits down on her knees Grateful for the time spent with one and another But now he’s gone to someplace other
Memories and feelings drift through her head Happy to at least have lost him then never have met him instead It’s better for her to have loved and lost Then to never have felt these feelings at all
He drove down the road Speeding across Wishing to be with her Instead of lost in thought
As memories drift into his head He wished to have never met her instead It’s better to have never loved Then have to leave the one who he did truly love
It took a lot of effort to push open the heavy metal door that stood in my way of success. There were thumps on the steps as I slowly dragged my feet down the stairs. I didn’t know this room was here or what it was, though I knew there was a secret room somewhere. Honestly, I’m scared. I don’t know what’s down here. I’m basically walking into the unknown. Luckily I brought my shovel with me incase anything goes wrong.
I finally get down to the bottom of the steps and I finally see the room I struggled so much to find. Wait. There’s nothing in here? It’s just a plain old room, walls made from old wood, the floors a cement that obviously hasn’t been stepped on in ages. Is that really all there is?
A voice in my mind says “look closer,” so I do. I run my hand along the brown walls, dust and dirt building up on my fingers. click. Found it.
The hatch in the corner of the room opened and revealed a small hole, perfectly sized for a body. Now that I look closer, there is an outline of a body in that hole. The room smells terrible and the dirt down here isn’t helping.
My face shows confusion because I am confused. Why is this stuff down here? Inside the hole I reached down and found some rope and tape. Who needs this room and why? Does someone plan on doing something bad? Of course, I already know the answer to that question. I bet my dad who followed me down here and thinks I didn’t notice also knows. What a handy shovel this is.
This door will never be opened again and I’ll make sure of it. Of course, the spot was perfectly cut for my dad. I mean, I did make it. I wonder how long it took him to see through my act.
The bell in the shop rings as I open the door but the person at the counter doesn’t bat an eye. Instantly, the smell of old wood and books filled my nose. As I walked through the door of the antique shop, the vibe of the shop instantly changed. It felt like home, somewhere I could be safe. I couldn’t understand why I felt like this but I felt so safe and comforted by the beautiful things that surrounded me.
The old brown wood creaked as I walked further into the store, looking around at all the stuff. It varies from old books to ancient artifacts covered by glass. The store had blue walls, faded and ripped. The building looked like it had to be hundreds of years old, though I was probably being dramatic. The white roof was being held together by multiple pieces of wood, making me feel like it would collapse any second.
The book section had hundreds of stories inside the old covers, most probably not read. What people would call “the smell of old book” filled my nose. The covers were ruined, pages ripped out, and some stuck together. No wonder the books are never bought. I wonder what stories they hold.
The candle section was a mix of many different smells. Pumpkin, coconut, blueberry, and lots more. I struggle to pull the lids off, obviously they haven’t been opened in a while. I wonder how long they’ve sat on this shelf collecting dust.
The next section is a section that caught my eye the minute I walked in. Boxes decorated in gold and silver, slightly rusted, and definitely old. I slowly opened the lid, scared it might fall off if I pull it too hard. The inside of the box was covered in a bumpy fabric, not soft but not rough. What surprised me was there was something inside.
I run my hand slowly down the side of the box and feel a slight bump that definitely shouldn’t be there. I push on it a bit, and feel something click. The bottom slowly moves up, and under is sparkling treasures that look like they don’t belong in a rusty box. Golden necklaces to diamond rings fill the box and I feel like I found something I shouldn’t. I wonder what other treasures are in this store but I’m definitely not going to walk around and check.
The box feels heavy in my arms, mostly from the secrets that lie within it. The front desk has an old man sitting at it, grinning ear to ear with crinkled eyes. I lay the heavy box down on the counter, making sure not to be too rough with it. The guy says nothing while scanning the box but I feel like he knows about the treasures in it.
The very awkward interaction with the man goes by fast, and I start walking towards the door while holding the box. The creaky door opens easily, making it easier to not drop the box. The smell of nature greets me and I start walking out the door. As the door behind me is about to shut , the old man finally speaks to me.
“Did you check the inside?”
“I’M LATE,” I screech as I hurriedly put my pants on. I snoozed my alarm way too many times and now I’m super super late!! “Zack Carter has been missing since yesterday. He was last seen walking home but never made it to his house.” That stopped me dead in my tracks. Zack was missing? It must be a coincidence. There’s no way that’s the same Zack.
The pitiful looks at school followed me everywhere. “Wasn’t Zack your boyfriend?” “I feel so bad for you” “If you need anything I’m here for you.”
It’s almost like Zack isn’t missing because all eyes are on me instead. I know he’ll turn up. He has to. I was just talking and holding hands with him yesterday, and now he’s gone? There’s no way.
Beep beep I groan as I take my phone out of my pocket. Everyone knows not to text my in school. The phone screen lit up with a message from an unknown number. “Who is that,”I whisper to myself. I click on the message and it reads this. “I have Zack with me. You’re dating, aren’t you? Your parents screwed me over. They think they’re big shots, don’t they? I want 1,000,000 in cash. You have a week. If you don’t show up Zack’s going to pay and it’ll be your fault.”
“Who?” “Who would do this?” “Why?” “Can I save him in time?” Millions of thoughts were racing through my head. I was shaking. My palms are sweating. I can’t breathe! I need to get home. I need the money now.
“No.” A single word which could ruin so much. “I’m not lying! The message is right here! Zack’s in danger! I need it,” I scream. I plead. In return all I get are stone cold stares. “Just let him die. Whats the problem? You could always replace him.” They’re wrong. I can’t replace him. He’s the best thing to ever happen to me. I can’t let them do this!
“$200” “$200?! I can’t pay for that right now!” “Then no deal,” the guy says over the phone. “I can pay you back later!“ I scream! “$100 now and $100 next week. If you can promise me that, the pin is yours.” I did it. I did it! “I swear! The money just transferred to your account! What’s the pin?” Words rush out and mix into each other but I don’t care. I can save him. “6916” he says. Then the call ends.
beep beep That stupid unknown numbers pops back up on my screen. It says “where’s the money? I said I wanted it today! Where are you?!” Didn’t I tell him I needed another day? Did I forget? “I’m sorry! I need just one more day. Please. I’ve almost got it all.” I get sent an address and nothing more. I can’t get it today so I have to hope he’ll be okay.
“I’m here. Where are you. Hello? Are you there?” Why isn’t he responding? Was I too late? crunch Footsteps. Is he here? I whip my head around and there stands the unknown guy. I can’t see him but I don’t care. I don’t care who he is. I only care about Zack. “Zack’s over there,” the man says and points to the forest edge.
I’m running. My breathing is fast. My legs hurt. He’s right there. I can’t see him but I know it. Wait. Something’s wrong. All I see is his hand, his body covered by leaves and rocks. I was too late. He’s gone. I fall. I can’t breathe. I’m shaking. I can’t breathe! I can’t breathe! “Boo,” I hear. I turn to look at him but something else gets me first. Lights out.
I was tricked. Zack’s fine. I’m not. Now I lay in my own blood. My head hurts. I can’t think. I can’t move. I want to call for help but I can’t. I was tricked. I thought he loved me. He just wanted my money. “I hate you Isaac. My parents worked under yours and our lives got ruined because of it. You deserve this. I never loved you. I just wanted your money. After what happened to my parents though, I no longer needed money, just revenge.” He says before he kicks various objects onto me. Now I lay in the same spot he did, covered by rocks and leaves, only my hand sticking out.
Though Isaac hated cleaning, he had to do it at some point. All the clustered closets and drawers were becoming too much to handle. He can’t even put a single pot in a cabinet without 5 others falling out. “Oh where to start,” he groaned, hoisting himself off the couch. He could do his room but he hasn’t seen his floor in ages and doesn’t exactly wanna deal with that yet. He could do the bathroom but he might just save that for later since he doesn’t wanna have to grab the chemicals. He could do the attic but he’s afraid of the dark and isn’t going to risk it. The only thing to do now is the basement. He liked that spot, though it is dimly lit, he always hung out with his dad there and made pillow forts. It wasn’t such a bad place once you stayed there for a bit.
The steps creaked as Isaac carefully went down the stairs, watching out for the nails that stick out on the steps. They definitely needed to do some renovations. He pulled on the string of the light, accidentally grabbing a spiderweb with it. Boxes and boxes of things scattered everywhere and there was even a few dressers.
Isaac walked over to the plain white dresser, and he noticed a little bit of blood on it. “Where’d that come from,” he pondered, knowing his mother was very strict about being careful around furniture and would never let something like that ruin the dresser. Well, it is also in the basement so maybe he’s wrong. He pulls open the first drawer which has absolutely nothing in it. “Not surprised,” he muttered to himself. Why would there be anything in the drawer anyways? He pulled out the second drawer and realized he was wrong. This drawer was an absolute junk drawer!
Stuff got pushed left and right as Isaac saw something familiar at the bottom of the drawer. He grabbed the item and realized it was his old phone! Why did this get saved, though? It’s just a piece of junk anyways. Though, there might be some pictures on here that are worth seeing. Another question he has is “why is the phone not dead?” He hasn’t seen this thing in years but the phone seems to be charged. Did his mom use it?
“I swear to god if I get this password wrong one more time!“ Isaac yelled, frustrated that he couldn’t remember his passcode. He was now sitting on the basement floor, covered with dust, and angrily tapping on a locked phone. 3745,3547,7453,7423. He’s tried every passcode he could before getting locked out for a minute. One last chance. 4357. “It unlocked,” he cheered, looking at the Home Screen of the old phone.
A picture of him and his best friend made him smile, remember exactly when they took that picture. Next he went to his camera roll. At first it was his normal pictures, but then he got to the most recent photos. First it was just pitch black photos, then some photos of a man in a chair. Was he tied up?! Isaac looked closer and realized it was his dad. “But he went missing a month ago,” Isaac whispered, seeing that the date on the phone was from a week ago.
There was hundreds of photos, the same chair and same person in it who he knew his whole life. Videos of the guy struggling, and asking someone to pay the ransom money. Ransom money? Was this a scam? Is this all just a big joke that they’re playing on Isaac? Then the very last photo which stopped his heart. His dad limped over, eyes white, and he’s as pale as a ghost. Who did this? Who would do something so terrible? But then, in the corner of the photo, he saw something.
It may be hard to tell from a normal persons perspective but what Isaac could barely see in the dark was a hand, nails painted a bright red. The same as his moms nails. That’s when he pieced it all together. How this person pulled this whole thing off. It was the person he trusted most, the person he loved like none other, the person who raised him. It was his own mom.
“Isaac, what are you doing down there?”
