The Watchmaker's Son

by Matthieu Thompson

A murder on the streets of Chicago has been traced to Joshua, a 16 year old orphan boy, who has a problem with authority. The cops are on his trail as he is on the run, but what they don't know is that the murder wasn't him. He was framed by a gang of thieves called the Gateway, but he has a secret weapon. He can talk to the dead.

1. Prologue

Prologue

I pulled my leather jacket over my shoulders trying to keep the cold air out. I hate winter. I thought to myself. The cold is always there and nothing seems to be alive. I stuffed my hands into my pockets, attempting to keep my hands from freezing and falling off. Well, at least I only have two more blocks to go. I think as I look down the dimly lit street.

That's when I notice it, the tapping. The slow methodical pitter patter of someone with a purpose walking behind me. How did I miss that? I thought. I turned around to see where it was coming from, only to find not a soul to be there. What? How... where did they go? I guess it was just my imagination. I continued to walk down the street, thinking that the footsteps wouldn't follow. I was wrong, so wrong.

The tapping continued as I walked, making an uneasy feeling wash over me. Who is this person? Why are they following me? Are they following me? Suddenly the thought occured to me, Are they going to kill me? At that thought I began to run, faster than I've ever run before, and sure enough the tapping came with me, from a trickle to a roar.

The footsteps seemed to be heavy and hard, they could not have been from a woman so I was being followed by a man, and a very large one at that. The cold air seemed to punch me in the face as I ran. One more block. I thought, Then I'm home fre... Just as I thought this I realized the footsteps had stopped and I stood there in total silence.

This isn't good, not good at all. I ran faster. and just as I was passing the dark alley behind my apartment building a large hand reached out and grabbed me by the collar and pulled me into the darkness. Just then I remembered the phone in my pocket. Damnit, well it's too late now I'm already dead.

"Hey there, girl. Why you runnin'?" The man asked in a deep growling voice.

"Pl-please don't hurt me. J-just let me go." I said in a shaky voice.

"Now, why would I do that," He replied, "when I've got a very important job for ya?" I shuttered at the sound of his voice. I reached for the ground with my toes, but he seemed to be holding me just out of reach from it. "Trying to abandon me are ya? I can fix that." He reached the other one of his large hulk hands over my mouth and pushed me up against the brick alley wall. "You ready to do your job?"

I tried to let out a scream but his hand muffled any sound I made. No, no, please god no. I prayed in my head.

"God can't hear you." the man said as he read my mind. My eyes widened at this, when his hands moved quickly and snapped my neck with a pop, and I fell... dead.