Death Watch (Prelude)

Tic-Toc, Tic-Toc.

Tic-Toc, Tic-Toc.

Max had started to hear the sound of the ticking clock shortly after leaving the his brothers storage lot, a hidden shell of a building accessible from down a dark alleyway off the main road of downtown. The smile had now disappeared off of his face as he realised the time and thought of his wife and how she would be thinking of him coming home so late without so much as a call or a text to explain why. The guilt soaked out of his pours and made his mind race with the pounding of his heart. He didn't do this often, he couldn't, but slowly over time the intervals in between visits had begun to lessen as his services were needed more often due to the impending arrival of the sacred day.

Tic-Toc, Tic-Toc.

Tic-Toc, Tic-Toc.

That bloody ticking. Where was it coming from? It seemed to be getting louder and louder the more he walked. The sound of his beating heart seemed to intensify with the growing volume of the ticking circling around him, and he got the creeping feeling that he wasn't alone, that someone was out there watching him in the dark of night.

Max began to quicken his steps and broke into a run as his heart continued to try and release itself from his chest. Behind him the sound of a rubbish bin being thrown against the wall was heard but he daren't turnaround from sheer fright. He ran and ran and suddenly in front of him just out of the street lights reach in the alley a figure appeared and stood still in the cold of night, staring.

"Who are you?" Max asked "What do you want?" shouting now.

The figure kept still. In the black of the night it was impossible to confirm but Max knew he was staring straight into his eyes, reading his thoughts and examining his mind.

The figure took a step forward, Max took a step back. And the streets became silent except for the sound of that ticking.

Tic-Toc, Tic-Toc.

Tic-Toc, Tic-Toc.

Max went to turn and run but before he could take a single step the figure was upon him and holding him by the shoulders.

"You're not going anywhere Mr Max" whispered the figure.

Max let out a scream of pain as his shoulders were almost crushed under the grip which was being places upon him by this unknown assailant.

"Please no! you can have my money, take it! take it all! just please don't hurt me!"

The figure continued to hold Max by his shoulders, and if he was situated in front of him he would be able to see the sheer cowardly terror in Max's eyes as he waited for his possessions to be stolen.

Oh how shameful! How would he explain this to his wife? How would he explain what he was doing in this part of town at this time of night? Oh the shame.

The figure increased the pressure on Max's shoulders until he was on his knees facing into the darkness of the filth ridden alleyway. Max was now crying, the ticking. That fucking ticking!! 'Make it Stop!'

"No, I don't want your money Mr Max. Money is nothing more than an invented parasite to me and I don't want to be touched by your filth. . but Mr Max I assure you I will take it all"
"Please. . No. . Don't" Max murmured through unrestrained sobs.

"That lovely wife of yours, I bet she wouldn't like to find out what you have been up to tonight would she?"
"Wh-what?"
"Don't worry, I never told her. . and she'll never know either. I can promise you that"
The ticking had become deafening and for Max it drowned out everything around him, even the beating of his pounding heart and the flowing of sobs.

The figure had let go of Max and pulled out a pocket watch from his hoodie. A silver pocket watch that was scratched and fading but was the only possession he owned, the only thing he cared about, it was his reason for living.

"You heard it didn't you Mr Max? retribution comes to those who hear the ticking of the watch"
With that the figure removed a pistol from his hoodie with the other hand and pointed it to the back of Max's head, and whilst Max knelt there in his guilt and sorrow he just wished for the sound of the ticking to disappear.

Tic-Toc, Tic-Toc.

Tic-Toc, Tic-Toc.

"Please. . ."

"Say hello to your wife for me"

And with that the ticking stopped with a single shot.