The Death Clock

by J. Rock

Andie didn’t know what to make of the numbers. She started seeing them when she got on the bus that morning. She didn't know what they meant...until she saw them run out...

Genres: Horror, Short Stories, Mystery, Fantasy, Paranormal, Fiction, Ebooks

Nook

First published December 23, 2010

Reviews

[Christy Hall · Rating 4 out of 5]

Death Clock is a good short story about Andie, who starts seeing numbers above the heads of everyone around her. It takes her some time to figure it out because she’s quite the unimaginative person, so says the narrator. Eventually, she realizes that she can see how much more time a person has to live. She puts the pieces together and supposes that a woman who saved her life also transferred her power to Andie. Disconcerting enough to have had a close brush with death, but Andie now has to contend with knowing when people will die. The story has a pretty good ending. The author tries for some foreshadowing that I enjoyed, even if it was a little heavy handed. While I guessed the ending, I did enjoy it. Nice and twisty dark. Just the way I like it.

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked it!

A short story about a lady that starts to see strange numbers ticking down above peoples heads. I really liked the ending.

[Gatorman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent short story, well written with a satisfying ending. Wished it were longer!

[Catherine Keaton · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good really, really short story. It's around 4,000 words long, but despite that, it's still highly entertaining. The concept of a “death clock,” or the ability to see a countdown of numbers displayed over someone's head that indicates their remaining lifespan, is nothing new. I recognized this used in Death Note, one of my favorite manga series, to name one of many other stories in which it can be found.

But, that's not what impresses me about the story. It's more about the amazing plot twist that you will never see coming, and it is a doozy! This is a free ebook, so you'll lose nothing but a few minutes of your time to read it and freak out at the end, trying to wrap your brain around the incredibly ironic ending.

What I don't like is the main character for most of the story. Andie is one of the most non-proactive characters you'll ever read about, but she arguably goes through a little character growth by the end. If you find yourself disliking her, don't worry—that really won't be a problem for you. Trust me on that… Just read it for the fun plot twist at the end.

[Rhettp824 · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you like horror or suspense stories then you will like this book too!

[Jen · Rating 1 out of 5]

Well, that ending was obvious and horrible. That could have gone so much better then it did. 1, wish I hadn’t read that it wasn’t worth it, stars.

[Ken B · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a well written short-story.

Mr Rock does a great job of catching your attention early and keeping up until the end. By the time you figure out what is going on, there is nothing left to do but watch the clock tick down.

4 STARS

[Guillermo · Rating 1 out of 5]

Surely, I'm not the only person who realized that Andie's living in a Nickelback music video. It's unimaginative and not worth the time.

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great story. Thought it was clever when the numbers scrambled. What would you do if you knew how long you had to live?

[Tony · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good god, did not see that coming. Excellent short story. Gives just enough to let the imagination run wild. Loved it!

[Debra Raupe · Rating 5 out of 5]

just short stories

[Creedom Critiques · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story took us on a ride with a young woman, Andie, who suddenly had the ability to see people’s death clocks. She literally can watch as someone’s life counts down. The story started out intriguing when Andie was on the bus and first discovering her new ability. For some reason, the writer added an office scene that did nothing for the story. That specific scene was actually confusing because of the different emotions Andie displayed when it came to the married man she was involved with. The writer did tell us the source of Andie’s new “gift,” but it was a typical event, along with the ending of the story. It would have been nice if the author had put some connection between the deaths or the passing of the “gift.”

[Rosanne V · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great quick read

I am partial because I am Canadian and live in the Greater Toronto Area. I felt like I was a part of the setting. I liked the suspense and it was the right amount of "descriptive." Great ending!

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

An awesome read

A great short story. I truly enjoyed reading this short story. The end leaves you really wondering. I hope to read more from this author.

[Deb · Rating 2 out of 5]

A quick read. Interesting plot with an unexpected ending. Some editing could bring it up a couple stars for me.

[Stacey Woods · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh My God

Such a short story but I loved it. It's like something you see out of movies. Great job. Need more.

[prettysureannereads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay where is the rest of the book?! Hehe

I liked it! It's like the movie In Time. The writing is good, the flow is easy to read. I need more 🤭

[Johnathan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very short story that could have been explored more. It was quite interesting and kept me engaged I would have loved to read more.

[Sietske · Rating 4 out of 5]

Made me think of the num8ers trilogy

[Carla · Rating 5 out of 5]

Free Short Story: Enjoyed it, though I figured out the ending, but it was a good read.

[Emelie Thor · Rating 5 out of 5]

For such a short book I didnt actually expect to be so entertained!
It was like the shortest episode of black mirror ever but still very good!

[Maria do Socorro Baptista · Rating 3 out of 5]

Toda ação supõe uma reação, nem sempre aquela que gostaríamos. Uma narrativa interessante.

[Gretchen · Rating 3 out of 5]

★★½

**Mild spoilers**

Really more of a 2.5, but half stars aren't currently an option.

Very interesting concept, probably interesting enough to sustain a full length novel. So why the 2.5 instead of a 5? Two reasons. First, the main character. I think the reader is supposed to be sympathetic to Andie, but she's utterly unlikeable. She's an adulterer who's blackmailing the man she had the affair with, although she claims to still love him and works with (possibly under) him. She's cruel and snobby. She's not bright, although she's supposed to be a high-power professional. Because I can't sympathize with her at all, I really don't care what happens to her. Second, the language choices on several occasions pulled me right out of the story, and in a story as short as this one, that's not a good thing. While not purple, the prose was overly inflated in several places. What woman, when playing with her own hair, thinks of it as "vanilla streaked, cherry coloured hair"? Or her "cobalt eyes"? Some of the imagery used is good and fitting, but some of it is just so oddly elevated and unrealistic it's distracting.

Something else I don't get, although Andie's an acquisitions professional with her own office, the ability to threaten and fire people, and an extremely haughty attitude, she takes the bus to work and home again. That does not make sense to me. If she's such a snobby, high powered professional woman, why isn't she driving herself to work in an overpriced, luxury model car? Granted, I'm in the U.S. and the story takes place in Toronto, so it's possible this is a cultural difference.

[Hyzie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a quick and easy read with an interesting premise.

The idea of numbers counting down over the heads of people until their death is not completely unknown, but it is an intriguing idea that has a lot of room for expansion.

The main character, Andie, is not terribly relatable, or likable, or sympathetic, or even a good person. (She's a pretty terrible person, but in a very annoying petty way that isn't very interesting, either.) She's also (this is a standard in horror, admittedly, but still something I find personally annoying) not very bright. At all. I don't particularly care what happens to her, which is slightly problematic, but not a huge deal in a short story. We don't have to be with her long. She's mostly just there to handle the premise, really, and she does a good job of that.

The ending has a good twist that you probably won't see coming, and since it is such a short read (it's 12 pages), it's definitely worth reading through just for that. If you like your short stories quick and twisty, this one will work just fine.

[Sky · Rating 4 out of 5]

Time is Ticking...

Andie stares at the red numbers above the man's head...
If you could see when someone's death was about to happen, would you try to save them? The main character in this short story must face this question after a near-death experience of her own. As the reader, you must figure out if she chose correctly.
Good story, philosophical and thought-provoking.

[Magda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty good short story with interesting concept.
There were few thing that annoyed me - like the main character. I get it that she's simply not perfect, but I didn't like her much. And at the end she showed she really has no imagination, just like she keeps on repeating.
But I still enjoyed the story. It reminded me of Death Note manga a bit.

[France-Andrée · Rating 4 out of 5]

A young woman is now seeing the countdown of everybody's life on top of their head. A very interesting concept that the writer does use very well. A short story, but I think it was the right length. Well written.

[Jenie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome! I wish it were a whole novel as opposed to a short story. Great idea, it took all of 5 minutes to read.

[Amber · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading but, wished it was I smidgen longer.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

awesome concept!