Three

Chapter 1: Tom's Life

Tom is a normal human who has a day to day job, he has a job as truck loader at a big warehouse in Montague Michigan its a 37 minute drive to work. Tom is fine with his job after all it's simple, he just loads boxes onto trucks and gets paid 17.50$ an hour, he doesn’t think about what he is loading  on the trucks. He is a good worker. His boss likes him and his colleagues do too. When he gets home he likes to sit on his squeaky big red recliner. One arm has a hole in the fabric from the previous owner. Tom likes to watch game shows on his 55’ inch TV in his free time.

Tom is a 23 year old man who has never had a girlfriend because he is, to put it straight ugly. His dad was a big part of his childhood and is now battling lung cancer, those cigarettes never did him good. Tom has a dog which is 5, female, and a small dachshund. He likes his dog. She likes the window of his house. She lays on the top of Tom's chair and sometimes barks at a bird or other animal she sees. She doesn’t like Tom too much; he's too lazy and doesn’t really play. Tom's house isn't the best; he got it for 57,000$. It's a small house with one bath, one bedroom, a kitchen, and a living room.

Chapter 2: The Knocker

One day as Tom is watching his games shows at 6 a knock comes from his door his dog begins barking but he starts to get out of his chair to look out the window and she who it is when the knocking gets louder and goes to banging Tom is worried this isn’t normal as he's going to see who it is. The banging stops and a note slips underneath his door; it's a yellow lined paper sheet with a number 3 engraved on it. Tom questions what this means, is it a threat or is it just a Halloween prank after all it's October 28th he opens his door and asks “who's out there?”

No response “what does this 3 mean”  no response.

He walks in his house as he balls up the note he throws it at the trash and misses so he goes to pick it up and put it in. then he realizes his dog needs food so he feeds his dog and continues watching his games shows and passes out in his chair and awakes to his phone alarm going off he stands up and begins to get ready when he sees the note in mint condition on his door tapes it now says 2 with the 3 scratched out he's know getting kind of scared what could it mean. This time to test he balls it up and chucks it out his window and a car drives over it.

Tom goes to his job and talks to his friends about it. “Someone knocked on my door and left a note that had a 3 on it then I threw it in the trash and the next day it's back with the letter 2” his friends' responses are all just basically that's weird or there is someone in your house. Tom feels like he is going mad or that he is just stupid. But Tom still wonders what will happen. Will it be good, bad, or nothing? He hasn't a clue about it but he has some excitement for it to hit 0 but he's still suspicious of it.

Chapter 3: One

Tom awoke the next morning on the 30th,  tired and went down to his living room to check for the note but it had disappeared. Although Tom is glad the notes are gone he is curious about how yesterday the note un-crumble itself. Tom could not imagine how. It is this fact that perplexed him last night while laying in bed. How could it? But he just brushed it off and set out for work after breakfast.

As Tom began walking to his car he saw that his car's tires had been slashed and 1 had been dug into the passenger side door with the note taped to the car with a car tire imprint on it. The note had a big 1 on it. Tom stumbled back for a second then he yelled out “ Who did this? What did I do to you?” At this time Tom's neighbor looked out his window and saw his car. She went out her front door and went over to his car “ What happened?” Tom responded. ``I have no clue, I just woke up and found it like this” she answered that “ it has 1 carved into it like 50 times”.

Tom's neighbor went over to the note and said “ This is just a note with a tire print on it” Tom snapped back, “YOU DON'T SEE THE BIG 1?” she responded awkwardly “what are you talking about” Tom exclaimed that “ it started with a 3 on the note i threw it away and it came back taped to the door so i balled it up and threw it in the street” she said nothing and just went to her house while watching him.

Tom had no clue what to do. Is he crazy or is she… She is not me. I'm fine, nothing wrong with me all while pacing back and forth.

Chapter 4: Work

Tom looked at his watch and noticed he would be late if he didn’t start moving. He has to catch the bus, but he has to report this to the police so he decides to call his boss and say he can't make it to work.  The conversation went like “ Ummm… I can't make it to work today, something important came up, can I get an excuse and still get paid” his boss responds “ you know it's our hardest time of the month getting prepared for next, you need to come in” Tom says “Uhhh… I guess I can try to come in”.

Tom thinks if I go to work or the police I'll lose my job but be safe. I have to go in, I won't be able to find a job… I have to go. I can't do anything about this. I'm worried. Tom rides the bus to work and arrives 10 minutes late but at least he is there. The entire day he is trying to hurry to get back to his house to do something.

Tom gets off work at 4 PM and goes to his car to find it missing. He files a police report but they say that they will check it out tomorrow and Tom's stomach turns TOMORROW? Tom slams open the front door and tries to relax by watching his shows but he just can't, he stays up pacing. He even forgot to do his errands he eventually relaxes and looks at his wrist and sees 3:30 AM had he stayed up that long he thought. I need sleep. He begins getting ready and he checks again at 3:31 AM his eyes were in fact not deceiving him.

Chapter 5: 3:32 AM

Tom has been worrying all night and got caught up in his own mind. He must've forgotten that he needs to go to work tomorrow but how will he get there? The bus is closed for Halloween for some reason and if he would walk he would need to start moving like now and still maybe be late. Also what will happen tomorrow on 0 will he die. This isn’t a joke in his mind, no longer this is something to be worried about. 

It's Halloween he also thought it could be a very very sick prank. But no this is magical this would not happen in a prank this is just plain out paranormal. First his car is messed up then it's missing. What did this, this is not he or she, he thought it's demon or poltergeist. Will he die if he does, who will know. Who will take care of his dog?

Maybe he won’t die, maybe he’ll be fine but how so he has a car no longer and won't be able to get to work. Maybe he can just not show up and think the best is what he was thinking. He began to perplex over this.

Now look what these intrusive thoughts had led to. He will get no sleep all because of this stupid little thing he over thought. He began thinking if he needs therapy about all this over thinking even though it's a lot to think about. The police will help him in the morning. He will be just fine and have no problems throughout the day or night.

EVERYTHING IS GOING TO BE OK.

Chapter 6: 3:33 AM

Tom is walking up his stairs when he hears 3 knocks on the door his stomach turns he creeps over to the window at a pace slower then one of a snail. As he moves the blinds over he sees it. His eyes get as big as bowling balls he dashes to the kitchen as quietly as he can to grab a knife. Then there's 3 bangs on the door. At this time his dog wakes up to the bangs and Tom goes over to grab her. They begin going to the back door. Then it bangs 3 more times and the dog doesn’t bark as if it hadn’t heard.

It seems to notice life in the house and begins banging on the door harder and harder in strokes of 3. As Tom opens the back door as slowly as possible the door squeaks and the banging stops. As Tom hears it bolting to the back door he slams the door and begins to run out the front. But it is not stupid. It punches its hand through the door and eventually breaks the door down and lets out a screech.

Tom gets to his front porch and is running for his life he puts his dog on the ground and calls it to follow him and it does Tom and the dog hide behind a bush in his yard when the creature busts through the door and lets out a screech as it begins sniffing around for them. At this time Tom is shaking like a turned on leaf blower. Tom thinks about how he can see it but no-one else can. Tom thinks it's a dream so he pinches himself and Tom wakes up and looks at the clock 3:32 AM then it flips to 3:33 AM and the banging continues this time it sounds like it's from his bedroom door.

Chapter 7: Aggression Grows

The banging stops and he hears footsteps walking away. Tom lets out a sigh thinking this nightmare is done but at the same time he hears it charging at the door as hard as it can. It busts through the door and it's too dark for Tom to see it. But he hears its every step and his dog is sound asleep in its bed. In the corner of the room. Tom feels it on his bed. And he lets out the loudest scream he ever has and dashes out of his bed.

He turns on the light and sees it charging up to rush at him but as it starts he dodges it as it punches a hole in the wall. The dog is still asleep. Then he watches as it climbs up the wall growling. Tom has an idea he will just not react to anything it does. Maybe that's the trick because his dog is fine. And also he can't think of how else to get out of this. So he stands still and sees it walk towards him opening its mouth.

It lunges at him… “it's ok, it can't hurt you” As Tom opens his eyes he notices he is in a straitjacket in a padded room. Tom looks at the nurse who was talking to him and then tries to scream but his mouth won't open. 

The nurse stands up and walks towards the door as Tom is left in the room. Alone with him and his thoughts as the lights buzz. Tom is scared and confused about what's going on. But content he no longer feels like he is in danger he feels safe…