Twitchers

I do not remember the date anymore, not since it happened. Weeks or months, years even, pass by without much notice in this world. I do remember how it happened. A normal morning, traffic and people yelling at each other over petty nonsense. Then fire rained from the sky. Not meteors, but jets of flame that fired down and scorched whatever they touched. I can’t say what caused them, only that hellfire seemed to cold a term for them. Looking back, I wish those fires were all that happened.

Its funny, thinking about this now, as I look from atop a burn out skyscraper. I don’t even know how long it has been since the world went to hell, and this small thing in my pocket won’t help me. But it does give me some comfort, just holding the small locket. Pure gold, shaped like a heart, able to open with a little clock inside. At least I know the time of day, assuming it was set correctly. But my comfort is short lived, because how I attained this simple item isn’t as nice as the item itself. I got it right after they appeared. I should probably explain what I mean by that, otherwise this little notebook I’m making would be senseless. The fires stopped after a few minutes if I recall correctly, I don’t want to even think about those caught in them, but they were lucky. The sun, it blinked as if it were some great eye, and then the screams erupted in force. Something, a large number of somethings truthfully, appeared in shimmers. Fast as lightening, and just as vicious, they tore into people. It’s not a pretty image but I would have preferred burning. These creatures, they glowed white like a pale moon, humanlike in shape but with no features at all save a wide mouth. I saw inside one once, and it was a black void lined with pure white teeth that seemed attached to the lips of the creature. They had claws I would guess but I never stayed to close to see. But what was most unnerving about them was how they moved. They would constantly twitch, every part of them. Heads snapping back and forth, and I swear if they found you and twitched, they were next to you instantly. Maybe I’m just going crazy.

Whatever they are, I took to calling them twitchers eventually. I’m not a scientist or professor or whatever person names these sorts of things. All I know is that when they appeared I ran, like most everyone else. The closest building I could see was the library, at least I think it was. All the books inside made it seem obvious, but any building seemed safer than outside. I looked back, and I saw several of the creatures, probably many more than that, following me. I could see the twitchers jumping and mauling people behind me, but I swear they were following me. I’m not proud of the fact I didn’t stop to help anyone, but I wasn’t going to die if I could help it. When I reached those doors I pulled them open and slammed them shut again, ignoring any screaming. I still can’t sleep sometimes, hearing them in my dreams. But that’s not important now. What is important is who I found inside that building. A woman in a long coat, holding a book. I don’t remember much of her face apart terror in it when she saw me. She called out to me, but the doors I held shut burst, and immediately they grabbed at her. They seemed slower, sometimes pulling away from her. I don’t know why, but some part of me decided to do something. So I got up and picked up some lose wood, charging like some idiot in a dumb movie. I don’t think they even noticed my attacks, more than likely something about this woman drove them off. It took a few minutes, I guess they wanted better prey, but they left. The woman, I wish I could tell you her name, was laying there torn but barely alive. I can’t put into words, but it wasn’t good to see. In her hand, clutched tight, was the locket I now hold. She tried to say something, anything, but hadn’t managed before the light was gone from her. It felt wrong, but something told me I had to hold that locket, it was going to be important. So I closed her eyes, said a prayer and took it.

You’re probably wondering where the police were in all this, or even the army. Well they did come, quickly to. But when you have monsters that glow like the moon and can teleport, well a few assault rifles won’t do much. I saw the battles, sneaking around as I could, alone so they would not notice me. Squads of soldiers firing into the masses of monsters, only to die. Tanks running over them, only to be pulled open. I even saw helicopters fly around; strafing runs I think they called it. Least that’s what the movies and books said. Library’s help in that way. You don’t know fear until you see these things look up and just appear outside a helicopter door, prying it open. I didn’t see every battle, but some small pockets of survivors managed to get radios working. The news wasn’t good. You know how in all the films the nukes are a last resort? Well, we didn’t even have the chance. The twitchers, either through dumb luck or some special sense, got to anyone able to launch a nuke. Well, I assume that much any way.

You’re probably thinking now, “How could this get worse?”. If you aren’t, well you should be. It was weeks, this part I know for sure, before things seemed to quiet down. There was no way of knowing who was alive or dead, but any military activity was stopped. The city was dead quiet, only small groups hidden deep away, or loners like me scavenging, were left. So, I was out at night, the twitchers weren’t much active at night for some reason. Simple supply run, food wasn’t much of an issue with most people being dead. Even found a market nearly fully stocked in canned fruit. As I packed my back, however, I heard the twitch. But it was louder than normal. I turned but saw nothing in the night air. Then the sound again, and again. So I threw a can far from me, old trick I know. At once something jumped at the spot but I still couldn’t see it. Twitchers glowed white, hard to miss. Then this thing opened its mouth, and I was terrified. It was like looking into a small burning white sun, lined with obsidian teeth. It moved more into the light; some places still had back up power. I saw it then, I called it a night twitcher. Its body was dark as the abyss, almost looking outlined in any light source. I now knew why any night activity from large groups stopped, these things were near undetectable. Worse than that, they seemed to have better senses, because it turned right toward me. It jumped, and I knew I was dead. I fell back, and in a last moment grabbed the locket. I guess I squeezed to hard, because it opened, and the little clock was exposed. That’s when I heard shrieking. I looked up, the twitcher was spasming much worse than normal, like it was trying to force them. I stood up, looking down I pointed my locket at the monster, and slowly it went still. After a few minutes all the constant twitching stopped. Then, it was gone as if mist. I’ve held that locket close every day since, I panic if I so much as don’t see it for half a minute. I don’t know who that lady was, and I regret I can’t give her more respect, but she has saved my life more than once. This occurs to me every time I fiddle with the locket.

If you’re expecting some revelation now, I don’t have one. I can’t explain how a tiny clock somehow killed the twitcher, if it even did. I will tell you that it meant nothing I the end. Right now, as I’m writing this the world is dead. I am sitting atop a sky scrapper, which floor I don’t know, looking over a dead city. Any trees were burned by the flames, nothing but rubble and scaffolding skeletons in all directions. Cars are broken and tossed around, tanks torn open and crashed planes everywhere. If I look to the distance far past the city limits, I can see smoke rising from some fire. Weeks, months, years of this for all I really know. I got by scavenging, trading if I could find a person, and my little trick every now and then. People are gone, monsters everywhere. Even now, looking down from up here I can see the glowing forms moving around. I swear they know I am up here. If that’s true I will not be around much longer.

If you are reading this, first what made you decide to climb up this high, and secondly, here is a warning. I don’t know why clocks affect them, but if you can get a working one use it. I’ve left supplies in the building that I can’t carry so help yourself. I would say thank you for reading this, but I doubt anyone will bother. Still, a person going crazy must put their thoughts down first, before the madness sets in. Least I think so. If you do find my body, take the locket, it is important I’m sure of it. Or I’m just imagining that the lady knew something was happening to make it easier to bare. That’s enough time for talking, I think I hear twitching, time to wind up my little clock.

Sincerely,

Someone still alive