Glitchfinder
Staff
So, this one's a bit tough to explain. I have a very particular muse who only shows up once every couple of years, and who likes to give me a particular brand of story. I don't really think I did this one justice, but I'm posting it here because I know I'll get some honest C&C, even though I'm pretty sure you guys will tear it to shreds in the process. Anyway, here you go.
The Test
Ann's alarm went off, and she opened her eyes. She looked out her window, where the sun was just peeking above the houses across the street. The sky was filled with the wispy puffs of cumulus clouds, which floated high above the town. There was a light breeze, and the thermometer in her window read 70° Fahrenheit, the best temperature she'd seen in ages. She looked around her room, at the books in her bookshelf, aligned perfectly and arranged alphabetically by author then title. She looked at the calendar next to her door, the days marked clearly and concisely, with "Test Results!" in bold lettering on today's date. "Oh, I get to see how I did on the test today!" She thought. "Mom and dad will be so proud of me!"
Ann got up out of her bed, quickly making it and smoothing the covers. She got dressed, making certain that everything she had placed the night before was still in perfect condition before putting it on. She headed down the stairs, and cooked herself some eggs and toast. She made certain that the eggs were the perfect consistency before she ate them. Her mother and father had already left for their jobs, so she left on her own. She locked the door behind her, and double-checked to make sure the lock didn't stick again.
Ann quickly made her way to her school, which was only a few blocks away. She was the first one to class, as always. Today, everyone seemed to be in a good mood, and her classes went without a hitch. Her friends were talkative, her lessons were easy, and even the bullies ignored her. Finally, it was her last class, the class where she would see the results of that all-important test. The test that would make her parents so proud of her. The test that would make all the work she had put into this finally, finally pay off.
The teacher began just like everyone said he always did. He praised the high marks everyone made, and told them how proud they had made their school. He glossed over the few tests that had apparently not been up to par, and added that overall, the class had been stellar. Then, he walked around the room, and handed everyone their marks. He told them not to open the envelopes until he had handed all of them out. Ann got hers, and could barely restrain herself. Finally, all of them had been handed to their owners, and Ann was allowed to open hers. She slowly peeled off the seal, careful not to mar the perfect cover to the document. Then, she looked inside.
She had failed. Not only had she failed, but she had the worst marks she had ever heard of anyone getting. They were abysmal, falling just short of having purposely tried to answer every question wrong. How could this be possible?! She had studied for weeks, months to prepare for this test. She had known everything she was supposed to know. The test had gone by so easily! How could this be possible?!
Slowly, she put the document away, and looked out the window. Clouds had rolled in, and it looked like a light rain was just starting to fall. She hadn't brought a jacket, since rain wasn't in the forecast for the day. She sat there, wondering what she could tell her parents. This was the test. This was the one they all led up to. She couldn't just tell them she had failed. She looked at the clock, wishing the class would end so she could go home. The seconds became minutes, the minutes became hours. The ticking of the clock became a dull thud, thud, thud, marking the time far too slowly to be possible. Finally, after what seemed to be eons, the class was over. She could leave the prison the class had become. Now, nobody seemed as friendly, and the bullies took notice of her on the way out of the building.
Slowly, ever so slowly, she trudged home. The rain soaked into her hair, causing it to muss and flatten to her head. When she got home, she opened the door and slipped inside. She locked the door, then made her way up to her room. She sat down at her desk and stared out the window for a while. She watched the storm get worse, and saw the sky darken and the thunder and lightning start. Eventually, she placed her head down on the desk, and just sat there, awaiting the inevitable.
There. The door opened. Her parents must be home. What would she tell them? How could she explain what had happened? How could she ever face them, knowing that she had let them down like that? She got up, and made her way down to where they would be. When she looked up, her face went white. These weren't her parents. They looked old and rotten. They looked like they had died and were simply moving about their routines on ghastly, undead clockwork.
She backed away as quietly as she could, and made her way to the kitchen. Her cell phone was dead, and they were next to the only land line. She couldn't call for help, then. She grabbed a knife from the shelf, and made her way back to where these things were. One of them looked up, and made some kind of noise at her. She lunged and stabbed it. She kept stabbing until it stopped moving. Her hands were covered in the rotten filth it exuded. Suddenly, she heard a ghastly wail. She turned to see the other one, looking at her from across the room.
She covered the ground between it and her quickly, and stabbed that one as well. She kept stabbing it until it was as motionless as the first one. She stepped back, then looked at her hands and the knife. They were covered in filth from these monsters. She sat down. Her mom and dad should be back soon, they would know what to do with these things. They would help her clean it up, and everything would be better. It would be like it was supposed to be.
Suddenly, she heard the doorbell. "Mom and dad must be back!" she thought. But then, she stopped. Why would they need to ring the doorbell? They had keys, they could let themselves in. She looked to the door, and edged back, realizing that more of these things must be on the other side. Suddenly, the door broke in, and several of the monsters shuffled in. They saw her and came to a halt. She took advantage of the pause, and hardened her grip on the knife. She lunged at them. Then, all of a sudden, she was on her side. She could see the window from here. She could see the bright sunny day, with the high cumulus clouds throughout.
All of a sudden, the acrid smell of the filth on her hands and knife changed, becoming the sharp tang of copper. She looked at them, and was shocked to see they were no longer covered in putrid filth. Instead, they were saturated with fresh, scarlet blood. Her eyes widened, and she looked to the side, in the direction of those monsters she had first slain. There, she saw her parents, lying on the floor. They were covered in the marks of her own blade. "Mom! Dad!" she thought. "No! This isn't right! They'll still save me! Then everything will be back to how it should be!" Slowly, everything faded to black.
"I'm dead." She thought. "I killed Mom and Dad, and now I'm dead." She paused, regarding the blackness around her. "This is...familiar." She had been here before. Slowly, ever so slowly, it was coming back to her. "I've been here before?" She thought. "I have, but how?" Then, it hit her. "No!" She screamed. "Don't send me back! Don't make me do it again! Mom! Dad! Save me! Help me! This isn't how it should have been..." Then, she was silent.
Ann's alarm went off, and she opened her eyes. She looked out her window, where the sun was just peeking above the houses across the street. The sky was filled with the wispy puffs of cumulus clouds, which floated high above the town...
Ann's alarm went off, and she opened her eyes. She looked out her window, where the sun was just peeking above the houses across the street. The sky was filled with the wispy puffs of cumulus clouds, which floated high above the town. There was a light breeze, and the thermometer in her window read 70° Fahrenheit, the best temperature she'd seen in ages. She looked around her room, at the books in her bookshelf, aligned perfectly and arranged alphabetically by author then title. She looked at the calendar next to her door, the days marked clearly and concisely, with "Test Results!" in bold lettering on today's date. "Oh, I get to see how I did on the test today!" She thought. "Mom and dad will be so proud of me!"
Ann got up out of her bed, quickly making it and smoothing the covers. She got dressed, making certain that everything she had placed the night before was still in perfect condition before putting it on. She headed down the stairs, and cooked herself some eggs and toast. She made certain that the eggs were the perfect consistency before she ate them. Her mother and father had already left for their jobs, so she left on her own. She locked the door behind her, and double-checked to make sure the lock didn't stick again.
Ann quickly made her way to her school, which was only a few blocks away. She was the first one to class, as always. Today, everyone seemed to be in a good mood, and her classes went without a hitch. Her friends were talkative, her lessons were easy, and even the bullies ignored her. Finally, it was her last class, the class where she would see the results of that all-important test. The test that would make her parents so proud of her. The test that would make all the work she had put into this finally, finally pay off.
The teacher began just like everyone said he always did. He praised the high marks everyone made, and told them how proud they had made their school. He glossed over the few tests that had apparently not been up to par, and added that overall, the class had been stellar. Then, he walked around the room, and handed everyone their marks. He told them not to open the envelopes until he had handed all of them out. Ann got hers, and could barely restrain herself. Finally, all of them had been handed to their owners, and Ann was allowed to open hers. She slowly peeled off the seal, careful not to mar the perfect cover to the document. Then, she looked inside.
She had failed. Not only had she failed, but she had the worst marks she had ever heard of anyone getting. They were abysmal, falling just short of having purposely tried to answer every question wrong. How could this be possible?! She had studied for weeks, months to prepare for this test. She had known everything she was supposed to know. The test had gone by so easily! How could this be possible?!
Slowly, she put the document away, and looked out the window. Clouds had rolled in, and it looked like a light rain was just starting to fall. She hadn't brought a jacket, since rain wasn't in the forecast for the day. She sat there, wondering what she could tell her parents. This was the test. This was the one they all led up to. She couldn't just tell them she had failed. She looked at the clock, wishing the class would end so she could go home. The seconds became minutes, the minutes became hours. The ticking of the clock became a dull thud, thud, thud, marking the time far too slowly to be possible. Finally, after what seemed to be eons, the class was over. She could leave the prison the class had become. Now, nobody seemed as friendly, and the bullies took notice of her on the way out of the building.
Slowly, ever so slowly, she trudged home. The rain soaked into her hair, causing it to muss and flatten to her head. When she got home, she opened the door and slipped inside. She locked the door, then made her way up to her room. She sat down at her desk and stared out the window for a while. She watched the storm get worse, and saw the sky darken and the thunder and lightning start. Eventually, she placed her head down on the desk, and just sat there, awaiting the inevitable.
There. The door opened. Her parents must be home. What would she tell them? How could she explain what had happened? How could she ever face them, knowing that she had let them down like that? She got up, and made her way down to where they would be. When she looked up, her face went white. These weren't her parents. They looked old and rotten. They looked like they had died and were simply moving about their routines on ghastly, undead clockwork.
She backed away as quietly as she could, and made her way to the kitchen. Her cell phone was dead, and they were next to the only land line. She couldn't call for help, then. She grabbed a knife from the shelf, and made her way back to where these things were. One of them looked up, and made some kind of noise at her. She lunged and stabbed it. She kept stabbing until it stopped moving. Her hands were covered in the rotten filth it exuded. Suddenly, she heard a ghastly wail. She turned to see the other one, looking at her from across the room.
She covered the ground between it and her quickly, and stabbed that one as well. She kept stabbing it until it was as motionless as the first one. She stepped back, then looked at her hands and the knife. They were covered in filth from these monsters. She sat down. Her mom and dad should be back soon, they would know what to do with these things. They would help her clean it up, and everything would be better. It would be like it was supposed to be.
Suddenly, she heard the doorbell. "Mom and dad must be back!" she thought. But then, she stopped. Why would they need to ring the doorbell? They had keys, they could let themselves in. She looked to the door, and edged back, realizing that more of these things must be on the other side. Suddenly, the door broke in, and several of the monsters shuffled in. They saw her and came to a halt. She took advantage of the pause, and hardened her grip on the knife. She lunged at them. Then, all of a sudden, she was on her side. She could see the window from here. She could see the bright sunny day, with the high cumulus clouds throughout.
All of a sudden, the acrid smell of the filth on her hands and knife changed, becoming the sharp tang of copper. She looked at them, and was shocked to see they were no longer covered in putrid filth. Instead, they were saturated with fresh, scarlet blood. Her eyes widened, and she looked to the side, in the direction of those monsters she had first slain. There, she saw her parents, lying on the floor. They were covered in the marks of her own blade. "Mom! Dad!" she thought. "No! This isn't right! They'll still save me! Then everything will be back to how it should be!" Slowly, everything faded to black.
"I'm dead." She thought. "I killed Mom and Dad, and now I'm dead." She paused, regarding the blackness around her. "This is...familiar." She had been here before. Slowly, ever so slowly, it was coming back to her. "I've been here before?" She thought. "I have, but how?" Then, it hit her. "No!" She screamed. "Don't send me back! Don't make me do it again! Mom! Dad! Save me! Help me! This isn't how it should have been..." Then, she was silent.
Ann's alarm went off, and she opened her eyes. She looked out her window, where the sun was just peeking above the houses across the street. The sky was filled with the wispy puffs of cumulus clouds, which floated high above the town...
is when I realized it was going to be either a horror story or a it-was-just-a-dream one... might be because of me, as I really was interested what you're gonna do with that girl who kinda failed what was important to her the most. So yeah, not being a big fan of horror or dream-age stories, that twist didn't really entertain me as much as I was like :|