The Midnight Watcher

A Story by Brandon Lee

A story I wrote for my highschool October Horror Story Writing Contest, won 3rd place. I would love some constructive criticism!

“The Midnight Watcher”

On the human imagination events produce the effects of time.[1] Is it true that the human mind has the ability to create an instant that could last forever? That is what some people think. Did Adam believe that it was true? No, but at this moment one could easily conjecture that he dearly wished it was. As the world moved carelessly on in its well-practiced routine, Adam was able to feel every minute drag by, each loosening their sweet, caressing touch on his tense body. Though that moment felt like an infinite flash in time, the boy knew that as surely as the sands blow in the great Sahara, his precious time would soon leave him. You could say, as the clock sang out its harmonious tune to the tick of 12, Adam would soon be singing to a different tune. As he looked out into the ebony sky of midnight, the young teenager realized why 12 was referred to as the “witching hour.”

Adam slowly crept up to his window. The sky was still black as ever, and the moon shone down taunting him with its murky glow, showing just how out of reach the safety of the morning was. As he looked downwards, Adam realized with a cruel acceptance that the thing was still there. Down on the backyard of his rural home stood a creature of near-indescribable features. As still as a shade, as dark as the sky, and see-through like a ghost, it stood there unwavering just like it had every night. The 8 foot tall creature looked up with its large, milky white eyes, which seemed to be the only part of the transparent monster that was really actually there. The creature seemed to stare off into the distance past his roof, but Adam knew it was actually watching him. They say that evil comes in pairs. He was not sure how, but he could also feel the monster behind him, so close that its breath would certainly have been blowing on his shoulder. Two halves to a whole. The creature was his personal night-watcher, keeping a permanent vigil. And tonight, the watchman has come for his pay.

Adam did not know how long he kept his gaze on the hateful being below. Perhaps, he reasoned, if he kept his eyes fixed on the thing, it would not attack. He keep his own watch on the ethereal watchman for nearly an hour. On cue, an audible ring was heard from the grandfather clock downstairs announcing that it was now 1 o’clock, forcing him to flinch. This caused Adam to take his eyes off the creature for an instant. As if in response, the creature’s head jerked upward and looked at him. Adam could faintly distinguish a devilish half-smile form from its discolored and mutilated lips, and the creature dashed inside his house with inhuman speed, seeming to phase through the air. As a petrified and bewildered Adam looked at where the creature was standing but a second ago, he happened to notice that the grass seemed to be dead where the creature was standing, and also in every spot that the creature stepped on as it ran inside.

The monster did not immediately charge into his room as Adam had expected. Perhaps the thing was taking its time, walking through and examining each room of the house it had kept vigil of for the past few years. If it was indeed taking its time, then it certainly would also be paying an out-of-the-way visit to his sister’s and parents’ rooms. But at the moment, they were not anywhere on Adam’s mind. His imagination was firmly fixed on the basic human instinct of self-preservation.

Thump. Time drew near. Thump. The floors seemed to thunder out, announcing its approach. Thump. How long was left? The answer: none. One spectral hand clasped itself on the side of his door. Then another. Then the whole monstrous thing was in the doorway. Helpless as he was, Adam still tried to put his hands up as if to guard himself, but his nerve gave way as he stood paralyzed. The creature tilted its horrid head downward and smiled a full smile, its lips stretching from ear to ear. Heavy breathing escaped from its mouth, as if it was an attempt to speak. But, Adam knew what it was going to say, and he didn’t care. He knew that time had finally ran out, and at the apparent realization of his doom, he relaxed for the first time in a long while. Suddenly, the unthinkable happened. With its figure the closest to Adam that it had ever been, and its smile so large that it seemed to split the shriveled head in half, the monster simply faded from existence, showing it was never there at all. Adam drew a sigh of suspicious relief.

At that tense moment, the real creature that was behind him took the initiative and struck, sealing Adam’s fate. The being was always behind him, always almost close enough to touch. To halves to a whole. There was only one difference. This other half had no eyes. It did not need any, its only task was to stay behind Adam. The second creature started to wrap its snaky arms around him. Adam felt the loose but firm hold start to tighten and constrict him, its leathery and ice cold arms and hands rubbing against his own. As Adam felt its presence surround him, he did the only thing he could while he waited for the inevitable. He retreated inwards to perhaps escape from the disgusting apparition, and live one last moment of forever in his mind.

[1] The Deerslayer, by James Fenimore Cooper