2-13-06

It's funny how time can just slip right past you. How days can turn into weeks and months and years without you ever realizing it. The hours escape your feeble grip and are lost to the abyss of the past. And before you know it, you've gotten older.

Johnny closed his die-ary and sighed. Another year, another Valentine's Day was upon him. These days, it was enough to throw him back down the slippery slope of depression. Well, it would be, if he cared enough to be depressed.

These days, nothing really seemed to matter. Johnny hadn't killed anyone in weeks, hadn't been out of his house in months, and hadn't had a civil conversation with another human being for what seemed like years. It was just the endless cycle of day and night, broken only by the brief moments when he mustered up enough strength to eat or sleep. Nothing to relieve the monotony.

The book fit neatly into the only spot on his ancient wooden desk not covered in a few inches of dust. Johnny almost found himself laughing at the absurdity of it. But the noise died on its way to his throat, just like every other sound.

Johnny rose. The grate of bone on bone assaulted his ears, the only hint of noise in the house. He stretched, and the sound intensified. He was getting old.

Even that didn't give cause for sorrow. Whatever shreds of soul that he once possessed were gone, deadened by years of insanity and blood.

Tomorrow was Valentine's Day.

Johnny glanced at the clock, wondering if its battery had run out by now. It showed about five minutes to midnight. So Valentine's Day would technically be starting in five minutes. He rubbed at his temples, trying in vain to drive away the dull ache that had plagued his skull for days.

Four minutes. Where had those sixty seconds gone? Johnny shuddered, feeling the twinge of something alien, but familiar.

Two minutes. Another one-hundred twenty seconds gone. It was worse when he knew what time it was. It only added to the fear.

Thirty more seconds gone. Johnny stood before the clock, eyes fixed on the slowly moving hands. He hadn't blinked in awhile. But he was afraid that if he shut his eyes, more time would creep by him.

One minute. What was going on? Here he was, counting down the seconds until Valentine's Day, a holiday that he supposedly didn't care about. The hands kept moving, ticking inexorably to midnight.

Ten. Nine. Eight. Seven. Six.

Five.

Four.

Three.

Two.

One.

Suddenly, twelve thunderingly loud chimes rang out, piercing Johnny's ears and mind. He jumped, forced to glance away from the clock, and stumbled over a chair he hadn't seen before.

Valentine's day. Already fifteen seconds in. Johnny slumped to the ground, laughing. Fifteen seconds in. Just under twenty-four hours to go.

Thirty seconds later, he lost consciousness.

-Z?-

Sometime around four in the afternoon, the phone rang. Johnny started awake, tipping the chair he'd tripped over hours before onto his stomach. He cursed and stood, fully comprehending what he was hearing on the fourth ring.

"Shit," he breathed, stumbling toward the doorway. "Where's the phone?"

Beneath a pile of torn books, it turned out. Johnny picked up the receiver with a trembling hand.

"…hello?"

"Hello?" a small child's voice squeaked. "Mr. Scary Neighbor Man?"

"Oh. Um. Hi, Squee." Johnny's demeanor brightened noticeably. "Is there something I can do for you?"

"Um. My mommy and daddy say they're going to be leaving for a few days. They didn't say I needed a babysitter, but I think maybe I should stay somewhere else. And Pepito's house is scary." Squee paused. "So. Um. I thought maybe I could…"

Play babysitter to Squee? Well, it beat staring at the wall until he passed out again.

"Sure. You can go ahead and get some things together." Johnny looked around, wondering if he'd have enough time to clean up the bodies. "Give me ten minutes though, okay? I, uh, haven't cleaned the house in awhile."

"Oh. Okay." Squee trembled audibly. "I won't get eaten on the way over, will I?"

"You'll be fine, Squee," sighed Johnny, nudging a decaying leg into an overturned garbage can. "I've got to go now. See you in ten minutes."

Johnny dropped the receiver back onto its cradle and kicked a severed head into the basement. He'd take care of it later.

Ten minutes passed, and just as Johnny threw the last of the visible cadaver bits into the basement, the doorbell rang. Apparently, the asshole hooked up to it had died, since the only sound was a dull crackle. Johnny wrenched open the door, grimacing at the loud creaking of unoiled hinges.

"H-hi," stammered Squee, shaking visibly. "I'm sorry I bothered you. It's Valentine's Day. You probably had something planned."

"Actually, I didn't even remember it was Valentine's day until five minutes before midnight," muttered Johnny, closing the door behind Squee.

"Oh." Squee rummaged through his bag, pulling out a crinkled piece of paper. "Well, I thought maybe you'd like a card. Since you don't really talk to people."

He handed Johnny the paper, which he recognized as a handmade card. It was crudely fashioned, to be sure, but he could tell Squee had invested some time in it. He smiled, or rather tried to, and tucked the card into his pocket. It was the thought that counted, after all.

"Didn't your class celebrate Valentine's Day?" he asked, glancing around to make sure he hadn't missed any severed limbs.

"Well, yeah. But nobody gave me cards." Squee's eyes filled. "The other kids got a lot, but they wouldn't even share any candy with me."

A familiar feeling burned in Johnny's chest. He grinned.

"Hey, Squee, how about we pay a visit to the kids from your skool?" he asked, digging a knife out of a drawer.

Squee's heart just about stopped, but somewhere in his mind, a little voice made him say something he never thought he would.

"Okay. Let's go."

author's note: yo. its been awhile. i plan on having at least one more chappie to this fic, so no worries. unless you hated it, that is. then go ahead and worry. hmm. valentines day is tonorrow. >. ah well. i can get some decent protesting in, anyway. erm. where was i? ah yes. what exactly will nny have in store for the little asswipes in squee's class? just wait and see.