The Jericho Loop

After receiving a mysterious smartwatch, Jericho finds himself caught in a time loop.

Jericho hadn’t asked for the watch.

It came in a plain box with no return address, nestled in black foam like it was worth a fortune. Sleek, matte, and humming with energy, it latched to his wrist the moment he touched it. A message blinked across its screen: “Live smarter. Or longer.”

That was before the car crash.

He remembered the screech, the shatter of glass, and then…
Darkness.

Only to wake up again in his apartment, the watch glowing 7:42 a.m., exactly thirteen minutes before he died the first time.

He thought it was a glitch. Then it happened again. And again.

Stabbed in an alley.
Fell from a rooftop.
Shot by a mugger.

Each time, time rewound.

He tested it; left the city, hid, wore disguises. No matter what, something killed him before the clock hit 7:55 p.m., and each time he’d wake up in bed, gasping, the watch whispering “Recalibrating.”

Jericho became obsessed. He started mapping his routes, studying patterns, looking for the constant. That’s when he saw them: the same man in a gray coat watching from the corner each loop. Smiling.

On Loop 93, Jericho confronted him. “Who are you?”

The man only smirked. “You’re getting closer.”

Loop 128, Jericho disarmed a trap. Loop 147, he survived till 7:56; only to be hit by lightning.

He screamed, cried, laughed manically. Then got up.

Now, Loop 219. He stands in the mirror, bruised, eyes blazing. The watch hums again. This time, he doesn’t flinch.

He tightens his coat, grabs the map, and nods to his reflection.

“Let’s try it again.”


Word Count: 264
Prompt: Write a story that includes the line: “Let’s try it again.”
Written for: "Daily Flash Fiction Challenge"