Three years ago, everything changed.

An earthquake, or maybe an explosion. Something about radiation. It all happened so fast.

Did another country attack? He doubted it. The government wouldn’t have tried to cover that up. Some kind of weapon malfunction was much more likely. Something they shouldn’t have been doing. Something that went terribly wrong.

The evacuation started with San Francisco and expanded from there. In a matter of days, California was deserted. It was unprecedented. An entire state emptied just like that. Even now, entering was totally off limits.

Since then, hundreds were declared missing. His brother North was one of them.

North’s entire high school body disappeared. Whatever ground zero was, they were a part of it. Gone. Everyone ‘whereabouts unknown’, although he knew what that really meant. They were probably incinerated in whatever it was that shook the city that day.

All except one. Everyone but Cyrus Frost.

Cyrus Frost was initially reported missing too, but turned up around a month later on the California-Oregon border as if nothing had happened. Apparently, he had no memory of the incident whatsoever.

Cyrus created Clock Link while he was still in high school. It wasn’t widely used at the time, mostly just by some of his classmates. One of them was North, and his profile page still existed, untouched for the last three years.

The media went into a frenzy when he reappeared and soon after the application exploded. Coming back from California’s version of the Bermuda Triangle was his claim to fame. Without that as the catalyst, Ocean doubted that Clock Link would have ever caught on. A different social networking site would have easily taken its place.

What made him so special? He knew he was terrible for wishing someone dead, but out of all the students that could have returned, why him?

This kept Ocean avoiding Clock Link at all costs. At first anyway. Cory finally convinced him to start using it.

Cory.

Ocean lost his brother, and now he was losing his best friend. That thought continued to run through his mind as he sat alone in one of the waiting areas of the hospital. Cory’s family had long since disappeared into his hospital room.

Finally, Liliana came from the hallway to his left.

“It’s funny,” she said as she walked over to him. “Other than the bruising on his head, he looks just fine.”

The two of them sat together quietly for a few moments.

“I remember when Cory and I first met each other,” Ocean said. He was trying to start conversation, but it felt more like he was talking to himself. “When I moved here 3 years ago, we ended up in the same language arts class.”

Liliana didn’t show any signs that she was listening, but he continued.

“We had to write essays about our names,” he said. “I wrote about how much I hated mine. My brother and I have total hippy names, so I was always singled out when I was younger. Your parents give you a name to make you stand out and you just end up wishing you blended in with everyone else.”

A nurse walked through the hall directly next to the waiting room. Ocean watched her pass by before continuing.

“After we presented them in front of the class, Cory came up to me saying that he totally understood how I felt,” he leaned back in his chair and looked up at the ceiling. “At the time, I didn’t get why someone named ‘Cory’ would be saying that.”

“He was the odd one out…” Liliana said. “When my parents moved to the US, they wanted their second child to have an American name to help him fit in.”

“Of course, that only made him feel like he didn’t fit in at home,” Ocean said. “And then they went and gave their next child after him an Italian name.”

“Well I didn’t have any say in it.”

The two of them went silent again.

Ocean listened to the sound of the waiting room clock tick. He tried to let his mind wander, but it wasn’t happening. He finally mustered up the courage to ask the most important question. The question about Cory.

“So what did they say?” Ocean asked. “The… doctors, I mean,” His voice came out hoarse and quiet. He didn’t feel like he could put any more energy into it even if he wanted to.

“The doctor said that it’s his brain,” Liliana said. “I guess it… swelled and put him in a coma.”

“Swelled…” Ocean mumbled. “What does that mean? Will he still be himself when he comes to?”

“Don’t you get it?” Liliana asked. “They don’t even know if he’ll ever wake up, Ocean!” She buried her face into her hands and cried.

This couldn’t be happening. None of this felt real.

Celeste and Ruby emerged from a nearby hallway. Celeste was stoic. The area around Ruby’s eyes were red, and even from a distance he could tell she was shaking. Great. Two more friends whose lives he had fucked up.

“Hey,” Celeste looked at Liliana sympathetically before sitting down next to them.

“Hey,” he said back. He couldn’t look her in the eye.

Ruby sat next to Liliana, embracing her. It wasn’t long before they were both sobbing.

Ocean wasn’t sure if the hospital was always this barren or if it was just a slow night, but they were the only ones nearby. Maybe they were just in a more secluded waiting room. Either way, he gladly would have welcomed any noise that could have drowned out their cries.

It wasn’t supposed to be like this. He and Cory were supposed to be heroes.

“Liliana,” Ocean broke the silence. “I need to tell you something.”

She sat direct across from him, and her glassy eyes met with his as she rose her head.

“Cory and I…”

The sight of two men entering the waiting room stopped him.

One was in his twenties, wearing a hoodie and a red baseball cap. Although they had never met in person, Ocean recognized him as Cory’s brother Pietro.

The other was in his thirties. He wore a gray suit, but not the kind of suit an office worker wore. It was much more casual and fitting to his physique.

Pietro shot a glance in their direction, but said nothing.

“Uncle Luca,” Liliana said, tears welling up in her eyes again.

“Hey kid,” the man in the suit said. “Which room is he in?”

Liliana pointed down the hall.

“Alright,” he started walking, but was held back by Pietro’s hand on his shoulder.

“You’re not seeing him until I get some answers,” Pietro said.

“What the hell are you talking about?” The man brushed Pietro’s hand aside.

“I don’t know what you’re mixed up in, but you fucked up,” Pietro said. “How do I know that Cory wasn’t attacked because of some people you pissed off?”

“You’re really going to start this now?” the gray suited man glared. His voice seemed calm, but there was a palpable anger hidden in it. “I thought you learned some respect for your elders while you were in Italy.”

“Oh I learned plenty about respect,” Pietro took a step forward. “And you don’t deserve any.”

“I don’t need to hear this shit,” the man said.

“You think you’re like the gangsters in the movies? You’re a disgrace. A disgrace to our family and the Italian people.”

“What the fuck did you just say to me?”

“Stop it!” Liliana yelled. “I can’t believe the two of you are talking like this when Cory’s…” She lost to her tears again, and quickly covered her face. Celeste came to her side as she let out a long, agonizing cry into the palms of her hands.

The man in the grey suit looked at her with a blank expression. It was one that Ocean understood. The feeling of powerlessness. He was sure he was making the same face.

With nothing but the sound of crying, the atmosphere was painful. The air was tying his lungs into knots.

“Cory and I,” Ocean was short of breath. “We tried to catch the murderer. The one that froze time.”

Ruby and Liliana both stopped crying and an unbearable quiet took hold of the room. All of them stared directly at him, their eyes so fierce that their very gaze burned into his skin.

“What did you just say?” Pietro’s voice shook.

“Cory… he had a watch,” Ocean started, realizing how stupid he was about to sound. “I know it’s crazy, but it could stop time. Like, it made people around you freeze. We were going to find and catch the murderer with it.”

The man in the gray suit’s eyes widened.

Pietro gave him a cold glare. “Are you on drugs?”

“I don’t expect you to believe me. You’d have to be insane to. There’s no doubt that whoever did this took the watch, so I have no concrete proof,” Ocean put his hands up in front of him. “But the news is saying that Cory was attacked while downtown was frozen. I’m telling you that there are watches out there that can do that.”

“What’s wrong with you?” Ruby stood in front of him.

It was the first time he had seen her look at something with contempt. It took him a moment to realize that that something was him.

“Ruby, it’s true, I…”

Her hand flew through the air, smacking him across the cheek. He couldn’t help but feel a sense of déjà vu, and he found himself sitting dumbfounded, tears forming in the sides of his eyes.

“I don’t care if what you said about the watch is true or not,” Ruby said, her legs quivering. “How could you let Cory go out looking for a murderer? He could have died, Ocean!”

He had nothing to say for himself.

“Ocean,” Celeste said. “I have so much I want to say, but I just can’t right now,” a stream of tears escaped from her eyelids and tumbled down her cheek. “I’m so disappointed in you.”

He expected Celeste to be the one yelling, not Ruby. Seeing them like this was tearing him apart inside. The reality of the situation was finally hitting him. He let Cory do something unbelievably foolish. Someone like him didn’t deserve to be surrounded by so many wonderful friends.

“Stop,” Liliana stood up, her body trembling. “Stop putting all this on Ocean’s shoulders. If you want to be mad at someone, be mad at whoever did this.”

“Lili…” Ruby looked over at her.

“I believe him,” Liliana said, wiping her eyes with the sleeve of her shirt. “I don’t care how stupid a watch that can stop time sounds. I believe him.”

Someone clapped their hands twice.

“I’m cutting it off here,” Liliana’s uncle said. “We only have so much time to talk and that talk needs to happen now. Right now.”

Ocean had no clue what he meant, and by the looks of it, no one else in the room did either.

The man moved across the room and sat down, taking a deep sigh. “All of you, sit down,” he motioned downward with his index finger.

“You know something about this,” Pietro clenched his fists.

“Pietro, I really have no idea,” he snapped. “Just hear me out.” He sat down in a chair, and motioned for the rest of them to join him.

Reluctantly, they sat down again. He looked around, probably making sure there were no staff nearby that might overhear them. Once he was satisfied, he started talking.

“I can tell you all care about Cory,” he said. “Regardless of how they did it, I think we can all agree that we want punishment for the bastard that did this.”

Ocean expected Pietro to start arguing about his authenticity, but he only listened.

“I’m not going to bullshit you. I... was in unsavory business a long time,” he said. “Trust me when I say the police aren’t going to give you the resolve you want. The courts aren’t either.”

“Uncle Luca…” Liliana started.

“Liliana, just listen,” he said. “If the police catch him, there has to be a trial. Lawyers could botch it. Evidence might not show up. If this watch business is true, and they don’t find it, then they don’t even have a way to explain how the attacks were pulled off in the first place.”

“You believe this watch shit?” Pietro asked.

“Hey, this is all assuming they exist at all. I’m the last guy to just believe shit like that,” Luca said. “I’m just saying it’s possible. Just look at what’s going on in California right now. There’s something that’s being kept from everyone, and who’s to say they aren’t keeping something from us right now?”

Ocean saw Ruby tense up out of the corner of his eye. Ruby had always been afraid of the government. She was the type that wholeheartedly believed in every conspiracy theory she stumbled upon on the internet.

“Hell,” the man, who Ocean supposed he should refer to as ‘Luca’, said. “If this guy’s caught, we might not ever even know what happens to him. That’s assuming they let us know he’s been caught at all. Everything could be covered up and Cory would never get the justice he deserves.”

He was right. Ocean could feel it.

“Look, you’re all just kids. None of you should be involved in this,” Luca crossed his arms. “But if you’re questioned by the police, you can’t tell them anything about any watches, real or not. Either they’ll think you’re crazy, or they’ll arrest you on the spot and take you in for questioning.”

“I’m not going to just sit around,” Liliana said.

“No more of this bullshit,” Pietro said. “You think you can catch a murderer or something? What kind of fantasy world are you living in?”

“Pietro,” she jumped out of her seat. “I’m not just some stupid kid! Stop treating me like I don’t know what I’m talking about!”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” Pietro glared.

“Lili,” Celeste said, putting her hands on her shoulders from behind. “This is crazy. Let’s all just calm down for a minute.”

“This all has to be a secret, Celeste,” Liliana turned to her. “If you talk to anyone about this, I’ll never forgive you.”

“What are you saying?”

“I’m sorry,” Liliana said, wiping her eyes again. “I’m doing this. There’s nothing you can do to stop me. That goes for you too, Uncle Luca.”

Luca let out a deep sigh. “You’re gonna get yourself killed, kid.”

“I’m in this with her,” Ocean said. “As long as I’m around, no one’s setting a finger on Liliana.”

Luca shifted in his seat, taking a long hard look into Ocean’s eyes.

The room was starting to spin. He felt a strange sensation building up inside of him. A surreal realization that he had inadvertently crossed a line that there was no coming back from.

“I’ll do it,” Ocean said, looking back at Luca. “I’ll find who did this and I’ll kill him.”

“Ocean, stop it!” Ruby yelled.

“What the fuck is wrong with the two of you?” Pietro asked.

He knew how stupid it all sounded. After all, what could a miserable kid with the eyes of a dead fish do against a killer?

He couldn’t be a hero.

Forget towns, villagers, and crops. From this point, he would devote himself to seeking, finding, and slaughtering the one that had hurt Cory.

He would become a monster.