Chapter 1: First clock

It was a night with heavy and stormy rain, it was cold and very noisy. I coudn't even have a nice sleep, what's the problem today?

How i coudn't sleep well i get up of my bed and go to the kitchen of my apartment and drink some milk, that's so frustating.

— Creak! –

This sound comes from a door opening abruptly next to mine, it must be the neighbor who is drunk, Jake.

"Waa—!?"

...Was that a scream? i don't know because it's in another room... i'll go check him.

"...Jake?"

I ask for his name while i'm stading in front of his door, waiting for a answer but i can't hear nothing then just some little noises.

"...Jake, are you okay? Can i go in?"

For what i remember, Jake is a old friend of mine, to put it simply, the first one when i got here one year ago, but he just had one problem as a friend, his bad habit to be drunk all the nights, poor guy. He was left for his girlfriend 4 months ago, and now he's getting worse then before, i'm worried about him since he's a good person to me.

"Hey, If you don't answer soon i'll go in..."

"...There's no need to that... i'm fine..."

Eh? his voice is a little different...

"Really?... if you say so...then good luck to sleep today!"

"...Good night..."

"Night~"

Yeah, maybe because he's too drunk or he's still in puberty, ha. After that i go back to my apartment and go to my bed, i just got to sleep when the rain calmed down a little.

I got a little sleep, enough to be alive at least.

When it's already morning i get up and sit in the side of my bed looking in the window, it's a habit to do that every morning for a while. So after that i go change my clothes and do my breakfeast to eat and then i just sit in the counch thinking about what i will do today.

"...maybe i should see how is Jake doing..."

My life is not so interesting and i just go to work at 09:30 and right now is 07:26. So then i get up of the counch and go to the door's next to mine, Jake's apartment.

"Morning Jake,how are you doing? did you get to sleep well yesterday?"

...no response at all.

"...I know the answer it's a little obvious but i just want to talk a little with you...it's little boring here, you know that right?"

...no response again. Is he ignoring me?

I try to open the door to see what's going on, it opened for my surprise. Why did he left the door opened?

Then after looking at the door i notice that's not normal. The doorknob is little broken, i don't know how i should put this in worlds... wait.

I see blood in the wall inside of Jake's apartment and i suddenly feels shivers in my spine. I hope is not what i think it is...

After that i go inside the apartment and start walking a little slowly in direction to the blood's indication. I confess that i'm a little afraid...

"Tic, toc, tic, toc..."

It's a sound of a clock coming from the last door, i think it's where the start of the blood are. I hesitated for a short moment but then i keep going in the sound of the clock's direction.

The door of his room was half-opened when i finally got there.

I saw a arm in the floor, there was a lot of blood in there that i coudn't even breath properly.

When i opened all the door to se properly what's there i saw a terrifying vision, that i coudn't even imagine it that i would have nightmares at night.

It was cold.

I saw it, i saw all of his body left in the floor full of blood, it was so scary, i'm scared.

His body in the floor, the cold air, my body shaking, and the clock ticking.

"Tic, Toc...DING—"

"— A-AH!–"

My voice refuse to let out a scream, my heart is beating so fast while i'm with my eyes wided opened. Then i runned so fast to his body without second troughts to check if he still alives. Why did it happened? How it happened?

I'm so confused and scared.

I try to pick up my phone but i remember that's not with me, i left in my apartment. So i runned away to go out of there and i start to scream, with all my strenght that i have.

"PLEASE! SOMEONE HELP ME! CALL THE AMBULANCE! –"

I start to breath very hard and i keep screaming: "CALL THE AMBULANCE, PLEASE!"

Then the others neightbours was getting out with a really pissed off face.

"What's all that noise soon in the morning!?"

I trought "Finally".

"PLEASE MISS, MY FRIEND IS HURTED AND THERE'S TOO MUCH BLOOD IN THE FLOOR! CALL THE AMBULANCE!–"

Then i start remembering Jake's body full of blood, and then my vision started to get blurred and the voices of the neightbours was fading away.

"Hello!?– Oi!"

I fainted of all of the times. The very least i could remember was a cold feeling and bad sensations.

_-_-_

"...Ms.Dianna?"

I hear a voice while i'm still awakening. I finally see where i'm, it's a hospital.

"...Who are you?..."

It's a man with a grey suit and a hat. Maybe he's a detective.

"I'm detective Kazami Gary. I'm here to ask you some questions..."

"...First of all, how is he?"

The detective was a little hesitant but he answered me honestly.

"He's dead."

Wow, he's pretty direct with his words but i don't hate it. But it's very hard to believe that Jake's dead, that's sad...

"Is that so?...well, now you can do your questions..."

"...Fine."

I looked in directly in his eyes to give to him a firm answer, i want to know who killed Jake too.

"So, when was the last time you saw Jake? except the part you found him dead."

"The last time?..."

_-_-_

Let's stop one moment and remember how we met, it was last year right? yeah, i was unpacking my bag in my new apartment, when i finished to unpack all my stuff, i saw a guy in the next door entering in his apartment, it was Jake. But how i'm a little polite i did a bento to give this to my new neightbours and greet them, just like usual when i change of apartment.

So i knocked in his door waiting for him answer my call. Then he opened the door:

"Hello there, i'm new in this neightbourhood and i'm giving this to show that i wants to be in good terms with everyone!"

He was just standing there leaning on the door wall, he had a good-looking.

"...ah, sure, you're the new neightbourhood here right? sorry, i think i drinked too much today so can you come again tomorrow?"

That explain why he stinks alcohol.

"Ah, fine but, can you accept this? it's a gift from neighbor to neighbor."

"...why not? thank you..."

Then without any hesitation he closed the door after taking my bento that i made as a gift.

So now i can see that one of my others neightbors is a drunk person, but well i don't have a hate for that or anything, i just think it's not good for health exagerate in the drink.

After that night i went everyday to his apartment and he to mine, we created a good relationship, but he was a chicken too.

And then after one year, that happened to him...

_-_-_

Now, going back to the present.

"...It was last night, yesterday."

"Yesterday? and how he looked?"

"Well, to tell you the truth i didn't saw his face or anything, i just heard his voice..."

"Okay then, how his voice looked like? sad or angry? or anything like that?"

"Ah."

I remembered about his voice, it was different from usual, maybe it wasn't him...?

"Ms.Dianna?"

"Oh? sure, it was a little different then usual..."

"...How so?"

"I can't really remember what exatly because i didn't paid much attention in that, but i can tell you that his voice was more mature and soft in the same time."

"Oh yeah? so are you trying to tell me that it was not him?"

He have a sharp mouth, how expected of a detective.

"Maybe, i don't know exatly."

"...Alright, i think that's enought for today."

What? is he done already? that was very quickly...

"Already? then bye..."

He nods to me while he's already leaving of my room.

Ah, wait, i forgot to ask him about Jake's family... I can ask him later.

_-_-_

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