I was always fascinated with the stars. Every night, I would go outside and look at the sky, hoping to see a small sliver of green, a meteor cutting a trail into the darkness, even the slightest shape made with the stars. I had posters up on my wall, astronaut figurines, the works. I always felt I had some sort of connection to the stars. How right that would turn out to be…
31 years later, I was outside looking at the sky, admiring how beautiful the night was, when I saw a small light in the sky. It was a formation of stars in the sky, but it was peculiar. I got out a piece of paper and mapped out the stars, and connected the dots. It spelled out a phrase.
“SEVEN DAYS”
Was I seeing things? Did I need help? I was considering calling a doctor. I turned on the television, hoping to find something to numb the chilling feeling in the back of mind, and saw a murder case. I continued watching, interested. The victim apparently was mutilated with a bladed weapon. The throat was slit, giving them a quick death. But one thing stood out. When the victim was found, they had a star engraved in their chest along with the number 1. What the hell kind of cultist shit is this?
The next day, I woke up and everything was normal, but something felt off. I chatted with my brother, hoping to catch up with him, but he seemed off, like there was something bothering him. I decided not to push and went about my day as usual. In the evening, I went outside and looked where the phrase was spelled out before. I focused real hard, and I saw a different formation. Mapping it out, I saw another phrase.
“SIX DAYS”
This has to have something to do with the cultist murder the other day. I turned on the television and there was… another murder? This victim had the same star, but the number was different. This one was number 2. Is the murderer tracking their kills?
Over the next couple days, everything started to seem more out of focus, like the dimensions of everything were wrong. I took time off from my job and consulted a doctor, who couldn’t place my condition and prescribed me some R&R. The stars were counting down each night. “FIVE DAYS”, “FOUR DAYS”, “THREE DAYS”. There were three more murders, each with a star in their chest and numbers counting up. Victim 5 described how earlier they had felt that nothing was right and that reality was slowly becoming more out of focus. A couple hours later, they were dead.
“TWO DAYS”
I consulted the internet, hoping to find answers and hopefully somebody who felt the same way I did, that reality wasn’t right. I browsed the deep web, looking to even the darkest websites. Suddenly, I got a friend request from some random person on FaceBook. I chatted with them for a bit, and they shared my concerns about the stars. I explained how I had been feeling off for a bit. They explained that they had felt the same. Then, they said that there was a knock at the door and they had to go. I begged them not to go, because they were the only person I knew who shared this, but it was too late and they had already left. I broke down and cried for a good minute. There was a message from them. I checked as soon as I saw, trying to figure out what they said.
TICK TOCK
My hand still hurts from the glass wound. I shouldn’t have broken the computer. I checked the TV hours later and there was another murder. It was the user I had met.
The next day was a blur. I barely slept, and I wasn’t hungry or thirsty at all. I called my brother, hoping to receive some advice. There was no response. Huh, that’s weird, I thought. Usually he would’ve responded, so I drove over to his house and rang the doorbell. No response. His car was still in the driveway, though. I looked through the window, and I saw something gruesome. My brother laying on the floor with a red star on his chest, and the number 7. I broke in and called 911 over to the address. They arrived and took him in. I went back to my house, and I got some good sleep. I was numb with unfeeling, and it fell to night. I’m writing this in hopes that someone will find this. It’s currently 7:06 PM right now, and I’m wondering who will be next to die.
Someone’s knocking at the door. I wonder who it could be?