Slipping Slowly
1/1
The clock on the wall ticks with a constant rhythm that I am sure will drive me mad. Well, madder to be honest. I haven’t ventured outside in a month, maybe longer. I knew what was happening the minute I saw it on the news. The decrepit figure of what used to be a man crouched over a young woman; abdomen wide open. I can still hear the shrieks from those fleeing the horrific scene; still see her wide green eyes focused on the camera capturing her death on film for the world to see. Her blood choking off her air supply, arm outstretched towards us viewers grasping for help. No one came to her aide…
Her eyes burn the inside of the eyelids when I try to sleep, still pleading for me to save her. I didn’t help her though. I didn’t help anyone. I boarded up my windows and doors. The first few days I could hear yelling and screaming all day and night. Now I’m “lucky” if I hear anything but the damn ticking in my ears.
They are always trying to get me. They scratch against the windows. Sometimes they can see me. They want to eat me. They want to tear out my insides. Quench their thirst with my blood; Stuff their rotted mouths full of my flesh. Gluttonous demons…
The house likes to play tricks on me too. It will creak and moan and settle in ways that make me believe that they have found a crack in my fortress and I have finally reached my end. I race to where I hear the noise only to find I am still alone. Then the clock mocks me and my frazzled nerves. The clock’s not on my side. The house is not on my side. Not even my psyche is on my side anymore.
Before the power went out I would keep up with the news. After the coverage of the green eyed girl, they were spotted a few states away. The next day they were all the way to the coast. A week later they were in Europe. The power went out the day the reporter said they had spread over 80% of the world’s inhabitable land masses. That last bit of information has never filled me with anything close to confidence about all of this.
Sometimes I feel like I made the wrong decision. Maybe I should have gone on with my day like a normal person. I should have gone to the grocery store that day the green eyed girl was on the news instead of building my fortress. I probably would have a lot more food left…
…Not sure what would have been the right decision anymore…
Tick, tock.
Maybe I should just let them in…
Tick, tock.
Sounds reasonable…
Tick.
Right?...
Her eyes burn the inside of the eyelids when I try to sleep, still pleading for me to save her. I didn’t help her though. I didn’t help anyone. I boarded up my windows and doors. The first few days I could hear yelling and screaming all day and night. Now I’m “lucky” if I hear anything but the damn ticking in my ears.
They are always trying to get me. They scratch against the windows. Sometimes they can see me. They want to eat me. They want to tear out my insides. Quench their thirst with my blood; Stuff their rotted mouths full of my flesh. Gluttonous demons…
The house likes to play tricks on me too. It will creak and moan and settle in ways that make me believe that they have found a crack in my fortress and I have finally reached my end. I race to where I hear the noise only to find I am still alone. Then the clock mocks me and my frazzled nerves. The clock’s not on my side. The house is not on my side. Not even my psyche is on my side anymore.
Before the power went out I would keep up with the news. After the coverage of the green eyed girl, they were spotted a few states away. The next day they were all the way to the coast. A week later they were in Europe. The power went out the day the reporter said they had spread over 80% of the world’s inhabitable land masses. That last bit of information has never filled me with anything close to confidence about all of this.
Sometimes I feel like I made the wrong decision. Maybe I should have gone on with my day like a normal person. I should have gone to the grocery store that day the green eyed girl was on the news instead of building my fortress. I probably would have a lot more food left…
…Not sure what would have been the right decision anymore…
Tick, tock.
Maybe I should just let them in…
Tick, tock.
Sounds reasonable…
Tick.
Right?...