7.

.. The text arrived at 8:52 PM..

..the only words, "1 week."

I'm not sure how I know, but I know. Humanity is about to end. It's one of those feelings so deeply rooted inside of your gut, tied around your organs, screaming at you because so many people don't know what's flashing in their face. I have seven days to try to prepare for the end.

What do you do when you find out you and everyone you've ever loved will be gone within a matter of a week. How do you know if the time starts from the time stamp of the message or at midnight when you lay awake in your bed thinking of more questions left unanswered. How do I complete everything I've ever wanted to do? Most importantly, how do I stop this from happening?

But what if it isn't real? I'm crazy. I'm imagining everything, tomorrow there will not be a timer slowly going down reading six days. Or will there. I need to get out of here. But wait, where is here? How do I get out of this mess created from a single text? Is it possible to stop this time? Did anyone else get this text, or am I just being pranked? Maybe tomorrow, when I'm at school no one will know what I'm talking about. But who will I talk to? I have no friends. I'm a freak.

6.

I couldn't sleep last night. Not while I'm aware of a clock ticking down but not knowing what happens when the time strikes zero. This is not a situation I want to be in. I went to school today but nothing seemed different. Everyone was casually going about their day and I was stuck in a crowd constantly moving about the halls. These people are either really good at playing a prank and keeping a straight face, or I was the only one that knew we were all about to die. Six classes and each droned on about who knows what. Everyone sleeps in class but I couldn't, as sleep deprived as I was, I stayed awake. I have to figure out what is going on if no one else could.

5.

I don't remember going home or even going to bed but I did. I was ready to fall asleep until I thought about that damn number. All night I was awake writing pages and pages to connect some sort of pattern and found none. Nothing. No reason to explain how I got that message. Another whole night of sleep lost. My room looked as if a crazy person came and wrote down meaningless ideas and uncohesive thoughts. Each one leading me further and further away from the answer I wanted. The answer I needed. No matter, I'll figure it out. I have to. Atleast, I hope I can in time. Today, all I could think of was the number five. Five people snickering in the hallway. Five was written all over my page. I was sent to the nurse because I had passed out form sleep deprivation.

4.

Four minutes is what it felt like I slept. In reality, it was a full thirteen hours. I probably needed that in some other time, not when time was limited for me. I stayed home from school today. I needed all the time I could to stop the inevitable. My time was drawing near and I was no where close to a solution. Who could I tell about this? No one. I had no one. I can't love anyone if I was worried about losing them. I started to slowly remove people from my life. One by one, hour by hour. The more people I could get rid of, the less loss I would have. The next day I would plan to remove even more. First was the neigbor girl. She was very popular at the school. She was easy. Next, I would get my mom, once she got off work as a night nurse. I cried a little but got over it easy. This was the first night I could peacefully go to sleep. Noting this, I made arrangments for more people tomorrow.

3.

At school, I was in the bathroom and I found one of my friends that had teased me since grade school. She was talking about her friend that had died last night from an attack but before she could finish her story, I walked up to wash my hands. I had noticed red chips on my nail but I couldn't remember the last time I had painted my nails so I scrubbed extra hard at the sink. My friend had been looking in the mirror as I stood there and watched. She was very pretty and it was nice to look at a pretty face. She turned and looked at me and said,

"freak."

She always teased my like that so I said she looked very beautiful today before I smashed her face into the mirror. I walked out before anyone could see the end of our friendship unfold. This was the third person I had removed from my life. Doing this had made me feel much better instead of having to lose them on the last day. On the way to my locker, there was a very attractive boy that once asked me to a school dance. I think he forgot that year because when I was ready to be picked up he didn't show. I said hello to him as he stood there with his locker open. He teased me the same way the pretty girl did earlier in the bathroom. I decided to ask him about the dance since we did only have three days left.

He stood there dumbfounded as if he didn't even know who I was. I guess he already tried to remove me from his life but unsuccessfully. I removed him right there in that hall way. His headless body lay on the ground with it's missing piece shut inside the metal capsule. I went home early that day exhausted from the many people now missing from my life.

2.

Another peaceful night of sleep gone by. My mother lay motionless on the kitchen floor as I tell her about my day at school the day before. I felt I should go to school and keep removing people to save them. That day I got two more people. One was the sweet, old lunch lady that always gave me an extra helping. I think she gave them to everyone but she was very sweet. I removed her in the kindest way I could. She was a very delightful dinner guest. Very sweet as I had said.

The second person was the janitor that always let me eat in the closet since the bathroom on this floor was no longer to be used. I found an old wooden broom that had snapped in half. This was how I removed him. After finishing my lunch, the janitor laid on the closet floor holding the broken broom.

1.

I had one day left and I still felt as if the timer was ticking. I had to remove the most important person I could think of. At school, I got called to the principals office. This felt as if it were a sign sent from the heavens. This was the person I had to remove. I had looked around the receptionists office, seeing few things to use. Alas, I couldn't think with that pencil sharpener constantly making noise. I looked over and thanked the gods for yet another sign. I broke my pencil to create two dagger like wooden stakes to sharpen. Once it was time for me to go in, I shoved them in his jugular and thanked him for being the last person I had to remove. I walked straight home afterwards, having felt accomplished with the seven people I removed. Mother started to smell as if she didn't shower so I went into my room. This allowed me to not have to smell her.

0.

I did it! I stopped the clock. The world felt right for the first time in the past week. I examined myself still fully alive and able to move. I walked out to make breakfast next to mother when I heard a noise at the door. It had been too long since someone had come by the house. They couldn't see mother in this disgusting manner. I had to move her before they could smell she hadn't showered. As I picked her up, the noise intensified with a strong fist pounding at the door. I moved rapidly to speak to whomever was at the door. They knocked even louder this time, avid to come inside. I dropped mother and ran to the door, hoping they couldn't smell how horrid she was from a few missed showers.

The opened door revealed two men in uniform with a flashing car behind them. They were going to talk until I could hear them take a long, deep breath. They smelled her. Oh god they could smell her filthyness. I slammed the door in their face but a strong arm stopped the barrier. They asked to speak to my mother but I said she was in no condition to speak to them. They insisted so I brought them inside. Each step further and further into the wafting stench of her. As we neared I introduced them to her... Before I could even say her name I was pinned to the floor, face down with cold and tight metal clasps on my wrists.

3 Days later...

The men at the door brought me to a huge room full of an audience of people. They asked if I killed a total of seven people to which I replied,

"No, but I did remove seven people."