That Sound You've Heard Before

My first school project with creative writing, takes a journaling format, another horror experience but with a overall mystery element.

That sound you've heard before

 Day 1: I wake up in my bed. The time is 6:36 am. I rub my eyes and pick up my phone, looking at the date. It’s October 13th, my dad's birthday. I decided to send him a text before I got up. He quickly responds, “Heya Eve, thank you for the kind words. We all love and miss you here, please feel free to come visit any time, love dad.” I smile as I look at the message for a little.

I put my phone down and sigh, realizing I haven't seen them for a few Thanksgivings. For now there's no reasonable way of visiting them. So getting over it, I wake myself up, and get dressed in something warm. 

I start walking to my favorite place in town, the coffee shop. I don't know why I enjoy it there so much. Maybe it's the music, maybe it's the smell of the coffee. I don't really remember, all I know is I’ve been going here for 5 years and I don't have a reason to stop now, so why would I? When I take a seat at one of the tables next to the window. I sip my coffee slowly and start playing with my computer.

Out of nowhere, I hear a strange sound. It's the quiet sound of impact. But it sounds like it's far away, so I'll just ignore it. I keep sipping my coffee, trying to enjoy the morning day.

Day 4: I’ve been doing my normal routine for the past few days. Waking up, getting dressed, and walking to my favorite coffee shop. Almost exactly the same. But that noise, that banging from outside, has only gotten closer to the shop. Really it's the only thing that's changed. The same animals from my last walk were there too. But really, it's only that banging sound that drives me insane. Every day it seems to creep a little closer.

It was fine the first few days. It was exactly the same sound, with the duration of each bang and how long it lasted for (almost all day). It was still decently far away so it didn't feel like any sort of threat. But now it's gotten so close it almost sounds like it's right next to the window. Even closer than that, actually. Almost right next to my ear. I've been trying to ignore it but I can't anymore, it's become too loud. So I look out the window.

The image is an interesting one. It's two people, I know that much. One is taller than the other and is hitting the small one violently. I can't make out any faces, it's a little too blurry. I know it's bad that this is happening, but I guess it has given me a sort of relief knowing that it isn't really supernatural. But I guess it doesn't really matter now. I called the police, but the two disappeared before they could arrive. 

Day 7: So, obviously something is wrong. Every single morning seems to be the same. I get dressed in warm clothes, I take a walk to my favorite coffee shop, I see 3 squirrels, and 4 deers. Then, I sit down next to an empty window, I hear that sound, look outside, and there that person is, getting harassed again.

 I tried to call the police the first few days. Yet every time the people seem to disappear. I decided yesterday to just stare at them the entire time and eventually, they turned to dust. Dissolved into pure ash. When it first happened, it set off every alarm bell I have ever had. Shivers run down my spine just thinking about it right now. 

I've decided to wait one more day, but I'm gonna try taking action soon. I can't stand to see that person getting hurt again. I don't know what it is about them, but I feel an overwhelming urge to protect them. So, I will next time. I will interfere with the fight.

Day 14: I stand up and get ready for my walk to the coffee shop. I've been trying for the past few days but I can't seem to catch them. Sometimes they disappear before I step outside and sometimes I manage to grab one yet can't do anything before they fade. But I've reached my final idea to try before I just give up and move on.

 I grab my usual things; my phone, computer, wallet and pepper spray. I go over to the coffee shop, grab my coffee, and then I stare out the window, waiting for them to appear. 1 minute passes, I blink and there they are.

I put my coffee on the table and go outside to the front of the shop. I quietly start walking, light on my feet as I try not to alert them. I quickly grab the shoulder of this person and spin him around, shooting the pepper spray in its eyes. 

It doesn't look human. It doesn't have a nose or mouth, only eyes. Eyes wide like they've seen the entire universe and have been shattered forever. Blood slowly starts dripping, running down its cheeks and slowly falling onto the floor. The creature looks up, a giant splash of blood flooding from its eyes. I can't breathe. 

“I don't know what's happening, why is this happening?!” I scream, not knowing what else to do as I look down and hold onto my head. 

When I've calmed down and can no longer hear the noise, I open my eyes. But I don't see anything. I don't see the coffee shop. I don't see the town at all. It's nothing except a door. I try to blink my eyes a few times but nothing happens. I only see 2 things inside the door. My computer and bright red eyes. I slowly walk up to the room, entering and closing the door behind me. It's just a bedroom.

Day 15: I went to bed after that event. I was way too exhausted to keep going. But once I woke up I decided to try to find a way to get out here. I unfortunately couldn't find anything other than those red eyes and my laptop. I've just been testing the limits scene then.

 You can leave the bedroom, but no matter how far away you walk from it, the room always seems to loop back around to the front door. 

The red eyes are always there, wherever you move. They're all bloodshot. My computer functions the same, with videogames and my digital journal. The only difference is that I have no access to the internet. I don't have any of my other things, like my wallet, pepper spray, or phone. So I can't contact anyone.

 It smells a lot like the coffee shop, which is comforting. There is also a distinct lack of sound. There's no banging. I didn't realize how much the banging has actually done to me over the past few weeks but I actually feel this massive relief now that it's gone. 

Maybe I don't have to leave this place just yet. It's cozy here. Besides, the computer doesn't seem to have battery life so I can just keep using it forever. There doesn't seem to be things like hunger or thirst in here. It really is my own paradise...

Day ???: I'm walking through the “hallway” of the blank. It seems to get colder and colder every day. I don't know how long I've been here. It's obviously been. I’ve needed to sleep a lot. It's one of the few activities I'm allowed to do here. Alongside that are the video games and journal. I don't have much to write in the journal, but I still try to fill in something everyday. 

After my first week, I didn't really know if my internal clock functioned or not. Sometimes I go on a small walk outside the room, like I currently am now. The eyes still follow me. They seemed to have multiplied.

I… I don't remember what happened before this. I don't remember most things. Not if I had a family, not if I had friends, not if I went to school… I don't really know. The only thing I remember is that banging. That creature. It haunts my dreams. The floods of blood. But I think the only way to avoid it is here. I think I need to stay here for a while longer. I can't go back to the real world. Here it is safe. This room is safe. I think I've been slowly losing my mind here, but at least I know it's safe. I know it's away from that noise. I can't listen to that noise again. I can't see that thing again.

I've been thinking about that person it was attacking. I'm wondering who that is.

Is it the same person every time? Is it different every time? Are they real or fake? I don't know. Maybe I'll never know. But as I keep walking through this area and as I keep seeing the eyes following me… I wonder if I should stay here. If I should do something to stop that creature, anything. But I tried that and it failed. What do I do now? I've already done everything.

Day 1: I open my eyes. I’m staring at the ceiling of my house again. Why am I back here? I check the date. It's December 8th. I rub my eyes and I stand up. I look around the room, seeing if I recognized everything. 

In one big blast, a swarm of memories come flooding in. I remember everything. I remember what happened. I remember why I heard that banging and why I saw that creature. I rub my head and sit down at my desk, trying to process it as I hold back tears. 

That short person was me. I was being harassed by that creature, whoever he was. I look down at my phone and scroll through my contacts, quickly finding my dad's number to ask if he knew anything, but I stop. I don't know why I stopped, but I did. I place the phone in my pocket and stand up, grabbing my hoodie and going for a walk.

I have no idea where I'm going. I look around, seeing the park, the houses, and… my favorite place. The coffee shop. I step inside and sit down at one of the booths, looking at the window. Once they arrive I just watch as it happens. I know not to change it, I'll be back in that void and lose my mind. But I can't ignore it either. It's too loud. So I just keep watching. After it's over, I stand up and walk out of the coffee shop. I look around the town and see the park again.  I go and sit at one of the beaches, pulling out my computer and playing my video games.

Day 7: I’ve stopped going to the coffee shop. I don’t have a reason to go. Everyday I stop by the local McDonald's and go off to work. Sometimes outside my office window I still see the event play out in full. For the most part it's gone. My dad has been trying to reach out to me lately but I haven't been responding. I don't think I'm quite ready to say out loud exactly what happened to me. I have to start by getting some therapy. I've been working on getting the money to afford one, but it's difficult. I have a lot of work to do so I can pay off all my debt and bills. I will though, I don't wanna get evicted after all. But for now, I just have to make myself live with the idea that I was harassed by dad. That's all I can do.