5 - Blind people suffer in silence

Brie tiptoed carefully down the aisle. The stranger seemed confused, swinging his head around like a cat who'd stuck its head into a plastic bag. His long hair was getting trapped in things, restricting him slightly.

"I'll find you! You did this to me." He growled, seething with rage, clawing himself along the shelves. Brie felt at her back pocket, grabbing the knife instinctively. She backed away simultaneously.

Studying his face, she grimaced as his eyes oozed with blood and strange black gunk. His skin had shriveled as if he had died years ago.

Brie didn't want to fight this guy.

She turned and tried to creep away into a different lane. She needed to distance herself before she made her retreat.

She zigzagged strategically then managed to find the glass doors that led to freedom. She squinted as the sun hit her face. The clouds had finally parted.

"Are you okay?" Adam's voice made her jump and she let out a breath she didn't realize she was holding.

"There was a guy..." Her lip trembled but she took in a big gulp of air. "He had no eyes. There was blood, he tried to kill me."

Adam took the backpack off her and hoisted it over his shoulder. "Did he touch you? Don't worry, He's in there and you're with us now." She shook her head.

"That's dangerous, Brie." He spotted and picked the knife out of her pocket and inspected it with a concerned face.

"We need to protect ourselves." She insisted and snatched it back. "Would you rather go weaponless?"

Melissa wasn't too far off, sitting in a small patch of grass beside the parking lot. She was singing to herself quietly, bored but content.

"Come here, Mel." Brie bribed softly. She turned and ran, smiling like nothing was going on.

Her long blonde hair was tied neatly into two pigtails, bouncing as she moved. Her big blue eyes shone and she had a soft, innocent face.

Brie smiled back to her, but inside, she felt guilt. She didn't want Melissa to grow up in a chaotic world filled with death, but the future only seemed to show that.

Was it going to be like this forever?

What if they caught the disease?

Brie shook her head. Stupid thoughts. Stop being so dumb.

"Let's go, we need to find a place to stay." Adam began to walk away but stopped to put his head against a car window.

"Why is there a car here?" He pondered, and Brie watched as his eyes scanned the inside.

"We need to go." Brie hissed impatiently, wanting to relax somewhere safe.

He tried the door, but it simply clicked.

"Oh well." He turned to walk away but...

BEEP. BEEP. BEEP.

"Oh no-" Brie felt her breath hitch as the car alarm sounded.

After a few seconds, she spotted movement emerging from the distance.

"Adam, there's people! They're attracted to the noise!" She yelled over the loud screeching and ran back to the entrance of the store.

Melissa ran right behind her, grabbing onto Brie's hand. Brie felt her heart melt slightly, but the adrenaline soon took over.

"Mel, stay close. There are people inside the store." Brie begged, squeezing her hand for comfort. Adam pulled the doors closed and ducked behind a wall.

"If we hide they'll think we ran off." He whispered. The alarm finally turned off, and all they could hear now was the groans of people coming from outside. Brie took a look and her jaw dropped. At least a hundred people were stumbling around, lost, in pain, dying.

They weren't communicating with each other. They were just yelling nonsense. Some began to attack each other. Deafening crunches of bone and skin made Brie's shiver with disgust.

Without realizing what she was doing, Brie turned and felt vomit rise into her throat.

"Don't vomit, oh god." Adam begged, and a yell came from the other side of the store.

"I hear you!"

It was the stranger from before. He seemed to still have a conscious, yet he was already insane.

Brie tried to control her breathing. "I don't want to be the reason we die. I'm so useless." She felt tears prick at her eyes and her nose scrunched to keep in her whimpers.

Melissa squeezed her hand. "We won't die, Brie. It's girl code to protect each other." She thrust a fist forward in confidence. "They might be bigger than me, but I can scream louder than all of them!" Mel pretended to kick an invisible person to show how strong she was.

It made Brie chuckle. "Mel, you're going to see things you won't like. We have to be strong together."

Melissa nodded nervously. "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger." Adam responds nonchalantly, snatching the knife out of Brie's pocket with a grin.

"I'm going first this time. New plan! We're going to find the storage room, then camp there for as long as we can." Adam then hopped forward and led them into the darkness of the store.

Melissa let go of Brie's hand and picked up a plastic golf club from the kids' section, holding it firmly in a defensive way. "My dad taught me this. He said it'll protect me from boys." She hissed into the intimidating darkness, creeping beside Brie.

Brie held her spare knife firmly in her palm. She hadn't opened the blade out, but with a swift flick of the thumb the cover would slide off. She felt her breath shake as she glanced around for the blind man.

They reached the cutlery section. She felt her heartbeat thump under her shirt, trying to pull her away from all the danger. She wanted to wake up from this nightmare.

"This is where he was before." She mumbled softly, pointing towards the bloody footsteps. They led to the direction they came from, making circles around the aisle like he was searching for someone.

Adam gulped, picking up his pace. "Watch your step, it's slippery."

As Brie glanced back, she saw a silhouette. It stood swaying, then she heard a voice.

"I hear you."

Adam spun around, slipping on the wet blood and tumbling onto Brie. They fell into a heap on the floor and the silhouette charged forwards.

"No!" Brie cried out, flinching as his face came into view, a large grin planted, ready to feast.

"Ha-yah!"

. . .

After a few moments of silence, she gathered the courage to look back. Melissa stood, panting, holding onto her golf club with all her might. It was lodged into the gaping hole that used to be that man's eyeballs.

He was still for a moment before growling. Brie pulled herself away from the floor, recovering quickly as the blood they slipped on stuck to her skin like glue.

"Watch out, Mel!" She pushed into the man, dislodging the golf club and making him fly back with force.

He stumbled back in shock and let out a cry. His knife was still in his hand. He swung it in Adam's direction, causing Adam to kick with fear. The blind man stood still and caught his breath.

"I'm sick of you!"