3 AM

3 am, the witching hour. The hour of death. The hour of evil. The hour of my nightmare. The hour of my visions. The hour that has haunted me for six years.

Six years, that's how long I've been afraid of 3 am. Six years, that's how long I've been having nightmares. Six years, that's how long I've been having visions of murder.

I lost part of me six years ago. I lost my memory of that time. I lost a family I don't remember having. Remembering that part of my life hurts.

What hurts is not the family I don't remember but that I don't remember them at all. The parts I remember is waking up in a hospital and my name.

My name is Allie. I don't know why I remember my name only. Strange people were in my room. My grandparents. They told me nothing when I asked questions.

I was a blank slate. I still am. I begged my grandparents to tell me what happened. They refused. They told me I had to remember on my own.

For six years I tried to remember. Every time I came close to unlocking a piece of my memory, I blank out.

The pounding in my head becomes too much. My doctor tells me not to force my brain to remember. I heed his warning.

My grandparents try to be the parents I lost. Bless their hearts. They are good people. Their hearts are in the right place. They have been good to me and have taken care of me. But I sense something off about them. I can't place it.

Deep inside my soul I know they are keeping the truth from me. The truth about who I am. the truth about my parents. I suspect I'm not an only child.

I told my grandparents this but they always denied it. They can't even look me in the eye. That's how I know they are lying to me.

I don't know why I'm drawn to the lake. I come here every time I want to escape my life. A part of me believes I've been to the lake with the family I don't remember.

The sun is setting. I didn't realize it is getting late. I hate being out when it gets dark. Bad things happen in the darkness.

I race home and turn on all the lights. I have a great fear of the dark. I always feel like I'm being watched. I lock all my doors and windows.

I check the time. it's only 5:30. I feel so many emotions right now. I feel sad, angry. I want to curse at the world. Why me? I yell from the top of my lungs.

Oh God! My head is hurting me. I sit down and take three breaths in and out. Okay, I'm fine now. I look in the mirror. Who are you?

I stand looking in the mirror for a while trying to remember my life before I lost my memory. I'm trying to form a picture of my parents. My head is starting to hurt again.

I rush upstairs to my bedroom and to my nightstand. I open my draw and take-out the many pills my doctor has given me.

I feel like I'm a mental patient taking so many pills. There is one for my anxiety. I have another for my depression and for my headaches. I have one for my nightmares. I hate taking them. I have no choice.

My stomach is rumbling. Let me go see what I have for dinner. I go downstairs and to the kitchen. I turn on the lights. Why does this seem familiar yet strange?

A slip of my memory is coming back. It's in and out of my brain so fast. I turn the lights off and run out of the kitchen.

I run to the living room and sit on the couch. I try to make sense of this memory. I close my eyes. The memory is blurry. I see a woman and two little girls. Then nothing.

I lay down on the couch and close my eyes once again. I drift off into a deep sleep. I wake-up but I'm not in my house. I'm somewhere else.

I get up from the couch and look around. This places looks strangely familiar to me. I walk around the living room. I feel like I've been here before. I look at the pictures.

I see a man, a woman and three kids. A boy and two girls. My eyes focus on the girls. I break out of my little moment when I hear laughter coming from the kitchen.

I walk to the kitchen. I see a woman and two little girls. One of the little girls looks like me. I remember from the pictures I've seen. The other little girls face comes into view.

She looks like me. "Allie, get the sugar honey." She runs to the counter and grabs the sugar. "Ellie, get the butter honey."

The lady looks at me. She smiles and unflattering smile at me. "You and your twin ruined us."

Suddenly the lady disappears. I'm clouded in darkness. I begin to hyperventilate. I try to calm myself down. It's not working. It's getting worse.

"Allie, Allie, Allie, wake-up." I wake-up. I look around. I'm in my home. I calm myself down.

"Allie, Allie, Allie." Who's calling me?

What's that smell? It smells like death. I'm being touched. I slowly get up and turn around. I scream from the top of my lungs. "You and your twin did this to us." I scream again and wake-up again.

I fall off the couch. I don't want to get up. I lay on the floor until I muster the courage to get up.

I finally get up and check the time. 3 am, my haunting hour. The time I hate the most. My nightmares. My visions are haunting me again.

Every night is the same story. The same nightmare. The same visions. The same three people. Three dead people coming to me, blaming me for something I don't remember.

"You and your twin did this to us. You and your twin did this to us." I'm here alone. I'm here alone. Please go away.

"Allie and Ellie. Allie and Ellie. Allie and Ellie. You and your twin murdered us."

"No, no, no." I scream.

I run away from the voices. I run up to my bedroom. I close the door. Oh shit! I trip and hit my head on the nightstand.

Blood is everywhere. The screaming has died down. Small whimpers is all I hear. Death is coming. Slowly, very slowly. Allie and Ellie smiling.

"Sisters forever, Allie."

"Sisters forever Ellie."

Stab, stab, Tonight, you die. Blood spills some more. Daddy grabs Allie's leg. Allie trips and hits her head. Blood is on her. One stab for daddy. He's dead.

"Allie wake-up. Wake-up. Come back to me."

I instantly wake-up. I remember everything. I murdered my parents and brother with my best friend. My sister. My twin. I'm not even sorry.

This is not my house. I leave this house and walk back to mommy and daddy's house. I hear whispers as I'm walking.

"Do you think she remembers?" I pay no attention.

Oh I do remember. I remember everything. Elm Street. Where are you NO. 21? Oh, there you are. You look so different.

"Allie, what are you doing here?"

What do I say? What do I say? "You remember. Don't you?" I turn around and runaway. I return to the house that is not my house.

I search for Ellie. Willow Green Sanitarium. I pack my bags and leave. I'm not haunted by 3 am anymore. I'm not haunted by my visions or nightmares. I'm not haunted by the deaths of my family.

What haunts me now is the thought of never seeing Ellie again. Shit! I hear police sirens. I run out the door, get into my car and speed away.

I speed all the way to Willow Green. I'm coming for you Ellie. I park my car a block from Willow Brook.

I get out and walk to Willow Green. I need to find the easiest way in. I look at the building for a while. I found my way in. The back door. I walk to the door. I open it and walk-in.

I look around. No one is here. Where are you Ellie? I hear voices. I walk to the voices. Two nurses. They are talking. One of them walks away. I sneak up to the nurse. I grab her and hit her head on the desk.

I search for Ellie on the computer. Room 502. I run to the stairs and up to the fifth floor, I carefully open the door. There's the other nurse.

I sneak up on the nurse. I grab her and throw her against the wall. I grab the keys and go to Ellie's room.

I'm here Ellie. I open the door. "Ellie." I whisper. Ellie opens her eyes. She smiles.

"Better late than never, sis."

"Let's blow this joint."

Me and Ellie leave Willow Green together.