Challenge Submission Tick…. Tick… Tick.. Silence

[TrashPanda]

Tick.... Tick... Tick.. Silence
By TrashPanda​

The detective walked into the room and looked at the young woman sitting in the chair. Hugging herself and he could visibly see how shaken she was under the blanket the station had given to her. She had arrived at the station bound with a cloth sack over her head and nearly stripped naked. In just her bra and panties.

As the door shut with even the smallest of thunks the woman let out a frightened scream and tried to hide inside the blanket. Wherever she had come from… it wasn't good.

"It's ok ma'am. You are safe now. I am Detective Carl Dannons. And I'm here to ask you a few questions." He walked over and sat down across from her. She pulled her head out from under the blanket and stared at the detective in fear. "I….I…. I'm sorry."

He cut her off. "No need to apologize. You've had a really terrible thing happen to you and I would like to get to the bottom of what happened today. Is it ok for me to ask you to give me a recount of what happened to you."

She stared at him for a brief moment and then she nodded. "I should… start from the… beginning then…"

Taking out his notepad. He began to scribble down her story.

---

Tanya that night had been rather disappointed in the date she had just come from. Her mind flooded with numerous amounts of criticism towards the guy she had went to see that night for a blind date.

Stepping off the elevator within her apartment building. She walked towards her door down the hall. Her heels clicked across the flooring as she walked. She had worn a dress that was a little out of her element. A black dress that hugged her figure. Hiding every part that could move, sway, or jiggle seductively was nearly impossible. At the time of getting ready for that evening, Tanya battled the decision of wear such a dress. Ultimately deciding in the end to do so.

She came to her door and started to fumble through her purse for her keys. She managed to get her keys out from her purse and started to thumb through the massive ring to the one that had her apartment key. Once she had found it she went to grab it. When the bundle of metal had slipped from her hands and fell to the floor with a heavy thunk. She swore to herself and bent down at the knees to pick them up.

Trying again to unlock her door. Successful this time. She turned the knob of the door and opened the door. Her apartment let out a small cold draft as she entered. When she shut the door behind her. She then reached for her light switch and with a sharp click…. Nothing happened. Cursing to herself yet again. "Damn lights must've went out… Ill have to replace them in the morn…."

She was immediately cut off when a large rough cloth-like sack fell over her head. She went to scream when she then became very drowsy and started to lose consciousness.

The darkness came quickly…

---

As if it was hours later did Tanya come through. Her face is no longer covered by the cloth sack. Her eyes were facing towards the floor where the darkness was. She raised her head and met this great light that almost blinded her. Once her eyes were able to adjust to the light with the force of a headache already settling in her head. Like a caged gorilla throwing punches in an antique store. The broken things being smashed being her own brain.

She could see a grand stage up ahead. This stage was set in a very odd way. There was a large wheel placed in the center with a multitude of words. Some say: Watermelon, Twist, Spin, and other words of random nature. What did they mean….There were newspaper clippings that covered the stage. To make it look like a bird's nest. The newspaper was already stained with red. It was hard to tell what it was till the smell of iron hit her nostrils. There was blood on that stage. There was a grunt in the darkness of another person waking.

The one waking was a man and started to shout out. "Where the hell am I!?! I demand to know where I am?" Tanya looked in the direction of the voice. She wanted to tell him to be quiet. Not to speak. But it was no use. There was a thunk coming from the stage. And out from behind the curtain came a figure. It was hard to tell if it was a man or a woman. It was hard to tell due to the large amount of black feathers that made up this figure's attire. The figure wore a black crow mask. That was also adorned with feathers of the same black mass.

The way that mask moved around as the figure's head twitched as if it were mimicking a crow. Adding to the creepiness of the figure's acting is that there was a chirp noise escaping the mask. The figure rushed through the stage like lightning jumping from the stage and up the center aisle towards the man. Tanya bit her tongue. The need to scream from this terrifying figure was so hard to keep down. The man that was shouting began to do so again. "What the hell are you doing?" A grunt coming from him as he continues. "Get your damn hands off me you psycho piece of…." There was a sound of slap that cut the man off. "Mother fucker." And then a body hit the floor. She turned to look and the figure was dragging the man behind them. The man was tied with his hands behind his back. He was trying to fight the dragging with some wiggling but to no avail he was taken with ease to the stage.

Hearing the scrapping as the man was dragged up onto the stage. Then the wrinkling of newspaper clippings. The Crow she was now calling it. Pulled the man up onto a chair. Tanya wanted to think it was a man. Due to the strength the figure possessed as they were dragging the other man. The Crow then ran over after making sure the man was tied to the chair and started to frantically fix the newspaper clippings on the stage. After the stage was fixed the Crow looked about the stage, their hand almost perched near its chest like a T-rex. She could see that the Crow was satisfied with the fixing. When they ran over to the large wheel stood next to it waiting. Then looked down and hit a button on its small little remote. There was a voice that erupted over the room's speakers. "Welcome one and all! To the Crows Nest. Where the contestants will put their fates to the test! The Wheel will do the trick. On the Wheel is several ways that their fate may be tested with. Most of them are bad. But there is one good one.. It says 'Safe'. May the Crow now spin the Wheel and we shall see what happens." The voice then cut off into an eruption of sound as the song of "footloose" started to play. The Crow excitedly turned and spun the wheel hard. Tanya could have sworn she could hear the tick of the arrow hitting the small white nail spikes as it was going around… and around…

As the wheel started to slow. The music cut off as all could hear the small ticking. Then it started to become more hypnotizing as it started to get near the end of its movement.

Tick…. Tick… Tick…. Silence…

The arrow had landed on Watermelon…

The Crow then started to clap excitedly as it walked over to the man. The man started shouting. "WHAT DOES WATERMELON MEAN?" Then the Crow walked to the side and pushed the man hard to the floor. He hit the floor with a loud thunk. The groan of pain escaped the man's mouth as the Crow walked almost off stage and came back with a sledge hammer.

The Crow stepped up and looked down at the man and placed a booted foot on the man's back holding the man down. The chirping from the mask grew louder and more excited. As the Crow lifted the hammer high above its head and held it there for a moment. Its head now slightly cocked to the side.

Tanya's eyes watching this suddenly grew wide as she realized what it meant by watermelon.
The Crow then with a swift motion came down heading towards the man's head. The sound that came from the hammer hitting the man's head and the slosh of the brain mass that flew from the man's skull was sickening. Tanya couldn't help but let out a small scream as it all happened. The Crows head then jerked up and looked in her direction. The Crows head then cocked to the side once more with a confused look. Then it dropped the hammer and started to tug the now dead man's body off the stage. She then started to whimper as the crows mask poked back into view and stared at her. It then started to rush up the aisle towards her. Which now her whimpering became panicked screams.

The Crow then reached her and started to grab at her and managed to pick her up. Panicking and starting to struggle against the Crow. She started to beg. "Please!… no no no... Let me go…." It was useless with her bindings and all. She was done for. Dead…

They came to the stage and the Crow climbed the stairs and across the stage to the chair again and set her down in it. Tears are now falling down her face. A bit of wetness coming to her clothes as the fear had managed to make her wet herself. The crow moved away and again started to fix the newspaper clippings.

The crow returned to its spot at the wheel. And then hit the remote once more. The same little ditty rang out across the hall. Then again with a great spin of the wheel the music started. The ticking was there. Like a machine gun going off in her brain.

Till it all started to slow again… Slower…. Slower…

Tick…. Tick… Tick.. then Silence again.

Tanya had looked down begging for that word "safe" to appear. When she looked up and went to look at the word that would decide her fate.

The word "SAFE" laid directly in the spot that the little arrow fell on…

The Crow looked to the Wheel then to Tanya. The chirping now in a bit more annoyed tone. Started to tug on the wheel to move it. But it looked as if the wheel couldn't move. In its bird like rage. The Crow then stomped over to the table it had slightly behind the curtain. Grabbing a burlap sack and seemed to be rubbing a cloth against the bag. The crow then walked over to Tanya and tossed the bag over her head. Which after a few moments she then found blackness again.

What she didn't see was the Crow then approached the wheel and lifted the plate off the wheel and looked on the back of it. The words "FOR NOW." Were printed on the back. The Crow then looked off into the back of the room and cocked its head in confusion.

---

Tanya, struggling with every bit of the story, had finally stopped speaking. She then looked to the Detective. He had every important detail written on his notepad. He wiped a small bit of sweat from his forehead. It wasn't hot in the room but the information he was getting from this woman was terrifying.

"Alright I think that is enough for now. Tanya. What you witnessed is horrific and I want nothing more than to get to the bottom of it all. Is there anything I can get you before we get you ready to go. Also the clean clothes on the table should be good till we can get you set up somewhere safe. Or if we can make sure someone is safe enough to stay with for now." He smiled and patted the table and stood up.

Tanya tried to think but couldn't think of anything she wanted. She then went with a quick option. "Water please…"

The Detective then nodded and with a small smile walked to the door and exited. With a small sighed outside of the closed door. He moved around the hall and not paying attention his foot hit something….

There was a metal plate on the floor at his feet that said.

"SHES MINE"

Then a small noise came from his left and then a sting of pain entered his neck. His hands shot up and he could now see blood fill his hands. Panicking slightly he looked up to see just as Tanya had explained. A cloak of black feathers and the Crow mask staring him dead in the eyes. He began to lose footing. His last moments were of the crows foot kicking him sharply in the head.

The Crow then stepped up to the one way glass and watched with curiosity as Tanya on the other side was beginning to get dressed.

"Soon my little survivor…Soon." It was a male voice that escaped the mask this time.

Then like a shadow disappeared into the dark halls of the police station.