The Sound of Clicking
The door swung open as 16 yr old Brian ran up the stairs of his 3-story home. “Hello? Anyone Home?” The only thing that responded to his voice was the sound of silence. As he reached the top of the stairs he dropped his bag and it rolled back down the stairs. He didn't have time to bring it back up again, that wasint important to him. He needed to get into the room at the end of the hall. He grabbed the door knob, but it was locked. He threw himself at the door, trying to break it down but there was no luck. Suddenly he heard a deep voice speaking to him. “Get out…NOW!” Brian was startled by the voice, he didn't have time to use the front door to leave. He had heard a clicking sound coming from the room as he ran for a nearby window. He dove at the glass, shattering it, as the he flew through the air. As he hit the ground he blacked out. All that remained was the sound of the clicking.
“Click. Click. Click. Click…BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP.” He awoke from his nightmare in a cold sweat. It was the same dream again. Ever single time. He didn't know what it meant, He didn't know why he was having it. But the image of the leaf covered ground as he lunged for the window was thoroughly burned into his mind. He slammed the snooze button on his alarm as he gazed tiredly at the L.E.D screen. 8 o'clock. He was going to be late again. He grabbed his bag, filled it with whatever books were on his desk and went downstairs. “Son, your late again” his dad was a pale white. As if his dad had seen a ghost. “I know, I had that dream again” Brian said as he was heading to the kitchen. “That one with the clicking?” his dad replied while following. As Brian was entering the kitchen, he noticed a stack of letters on the table. They looked pretty important. “what are these dad?” Brian was holding a letter with a PopTart in the other hand. “JUST…put the letter down son…its nothing…” his dad ripped the letter out of his hand and piling it with the rest of them. He picked up the stack and left the kitchen. Brian found it a bit suspicious, but he shrugged it off. He was late, and the only thing that he could think about was the glass shattering, the ground approaching, and the sound of clicking.
He had opened the door to the school, as the bell rang out through the halls. The sound drowning out the sound of the clicking; But only for a moment. He ran to his class and noticed his teacher, Mr.Feeny, standing there in the doorway. He gave him a hateful glare as he opened the door to the class. “You're late” he said as Brian entered the class. “Sorry, I slept in by accident”. Brian took his seat. The teacher started the lesson. As the time passed the sound of the teachers voice was being drowned out. By the sound of clicking. He couldn't focus. He couldn't think. There was only the sound of clicking. Brian's eyes began to close. He had fallen asleep;this time the dream started from the ground. He heard a loud bang. And he felt like something had landed on his back. He heard the voice again. “Brian. Brian. Brian.” Brian awoke to the sight of his teacher staring at him. “You know, if you hate history so much perhaps you would prefer to stay home?” The classroom was dead silent. Brian's iPhone went off. “Sorry about that” Brian was scrambling to mute it before he got into more trouble. “No its fine. In fact why not answer your phone outside. NOW.” The teacher motioned to the door.
“I will be there shortly.” As Brian walked out he read the text from his father. “Son… Come home…Theres something you need to see…Send Help” Brian was startled and slightly disturbed from such a text. “What? Why?” there was no response. The teacher was just finishing up the lesson. That’s when Brian took off down the hall and out the double doors.
He had arrived home within a few minutes. He threw the door open as he ran in. “Dad?!? Dad!?!” Nothing but the terrifying sound of silence. He dropped his bag and bolted up the stair case. His thoughts were scattering. He stopped as he arrived on the second floor. Letters were littered all over like a ocean of paper. He examined some letters. CREDIT CARD PAYMENT OVERDUE! IMPORTANT NOTICE! There was a letter that had been partially whited out. All he could make out was “We regret to inform you- due to recent events- we have to let you go”. As he read the letter, at least what was left of it he heard someone sobbing from the room at the end of the hall. As he approached it he started to notice a strange smell; it was the gas from the stove filling the air. He grabbed the door knob and that’s when he heard his dad. “I'm sorry”. That’s when he heard it. Brian stepped back. The sound that was burned into his skull. He knew what it was now. From the room he heard the clicking of a lighter. Brian swiftly turned and ran for the bathroom window at the other end of the hall. As Brian dove for the glass he gazed upon the sight before him. “The smell of autumn and the scene of the leaves against the cold hard cement was a perfect ending to his life.” He never thought he would think such a thing. He broke through the glass, each shard cutting his body like a hundred razor blades were covering him. He slammed into the ground, the pile of leaves cluttering the concrete almost failing to cushion his fall. Then he heard the bang. And the clicking finally stopped.
He awoke several hours later;on a stretcher that was being pushed into an ambulance. The sight before him, it was horrifying. His house was in ruins, there was charred wood, the remains of his room lay in the middle. All his childhood memories annihilated. The letters that once littered the floor now ashes amongst the slightly burning foundation. The smoke was filling the area. With a black mushroom cloud. As if a nuke were dropped on his house and his house only. He was lifted onto the ambulance and the driver sped off. The other person that was beside him was going over the list of injuries. “Broken ribs, Broken leg, Broken Arm, His spine was slightly injured upon impact but he should recover, lacerations from the glass, and 2nd degree burns.” The man kept trailing on with the list of injuries. Brian passed out again. He awoke in the late afternoon. In the ICU of a hospital. Wires and bandages covering his arms and chest. His head was spinning. A doctor walked in. “Oh good you're awake, you are a very lucky teen Brian”. The doctor was surprisingly cheerful when talking to the kid who just jumped from an exploding house. “What…happened?” the doctor looked at Brian and lowered his head. “well, your father blew up your house with him in it…he tried to take you with him…we don’t know why but we cant think of that now; just try and get some rest”. Brian nodded as the doctor handed him a remote. “if you want feel free to watch TV”. Brian turned on the TV as a news broadcast was airing. “An explosion at a house downtown has left one dead and another severely injured. Sources say that-“. The news broadcast was drowned out by the sound of the heart monitor as he fell asleep. When that faded out, all that was left was the sound of the clock as the seconds past. It was the last thing he heard has he fell asleep.
Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click.
[spoiler]Im making a short story for school. what do you think?[/spoiler]