400 Days Novels & Stories

He stood up, placing a foot of freezing air between us. "Get some sleep, Nora," Silas said softly, his voice hollow and resigned. "Seventy-two days left." He turned and walked toward his side of the bed, leaving me sitting in the dark, my skin burning, my heart racing, and the terrifying realization dawning on me that the "detox" was failing.

Nathaniel noticed immediately. “I’m sorry,” he said quickly. “I shouldn’t have brought them up.” But it was too late. “I know you’re still not over what happened four years ago.” I forced a faint smile, because he was right. Four years had passed, yet the memory still felt as fresh as if it had happened yesterday. The pain never truly disappeared. It only hid in quiet corners of my heart, waiting for moments like this to resurface. The worst part? They died on my fourteenth birthday.

That alone felt like a miracle. A yawn slipped from my lips as I dragged my feet toward the forty-five-day calendar taped crookedly on the wall. The paper fluttered slightly from the weak breeze coming through the window. I picked up the pen beside it and ticked off number one. Then I nodded to myself. Forty-four days left. Just forty-four more days. Staying in a house with a cobra and a demon definitely wasn't part of the life plan I had imagined… but I would survive it. I had to.

"Precise. Ruthless. Unfeeling. And yet... you faltered. All because of your cock." My jaw tightens. "Who the fuck is this?" The man lets out a soft, amused exhale. "Now you will be punished." My grip on the phone hardens. "100 days to win your bitch's heart?" he says, almost mocking. "Cute. How about 100 days to save her life instead?" My blood runs cold. "Tick tock, Marcellus." I force my voice to stay steady. "Who the hell are you?" The man chuckles. “I am your creator."

350 days left. No contract. No rules. Just him. Just me. Just war.

He said, his voice cracked a bit—though he tried to hide it. “Brian…” My voice trailed off. I didn’t know what to say to him again. “How long has it been?” I asked because his sudden change in expression made me feel like it happened recently. Even though I saw sadness in his eyes, I wasn’t still prepared for the way it took over his face. Maybe our pain is different after all. “Today makes it exactly 400 days since her death.” He said. He took off his glasses and used his small handkerchief to clean it. But I knew what he was doing. He was trying to distract himself so he could prevent tears from falling.

I turn and walk back to my room. One step. Two steps. Day 31. I have forty-eight hours. And now I know exactly how to use them.

“I want to go say goodbye to daddy before heading to see ‘gwandpa’ and ‘gwandma’ “ Roberta voiced out trying to unbuckle her seat belt as her blue eyes glinted with excitement. Melissa was still trying to control her shaky hands with something that tends to happen whenever Gerald was around.

She replied “You have four days.” He turned to a guard, who nodded back. “Four working days to come up with something.” There was Camille to come up with a good plan, so yeah. Four working days and the weekends was perfect. It was just one day short of a week. “Four days is perfect.” She replied, this time confidently. Octavio nodded.

The sound of my phone’s chime wakes me from a restless nap. It’s a notification from the ad I clicked earlier. My breath catches as I unlock the screen and read the message: “Interview will be done tomorrow at Escalante Café at 10:00 am sharp. Call this number when you arrive: 00######.” I stare at the words, my chest tightening as I read them over and over again. Was this a good idea? What if it was some human trafficking scheme?