The Sight

Her body trembled as she moved toward me, left leg limping, toes dragging along the tiled floor as she struggled to remain on her feet. Blue veins ran along her cheeks and forehead as her gray eyes stalked me.

I backed away, attempting to move faster as she leaned in closer. Her mouth opened. Blood pooled out as her razor sharp teeth reflected off the overhead lights. Her jaws clamped together as she leaned into my neck.

I held her back. She attempted to bite me again, opening her mouth wider. Placing my hand on her forehead, I pushed her away from my neck. My feet slipped in the pool of blood under my feet. Latching onto her lower jaw, I snapped it off as I slid down to the floor. My body jolted back to reality as my friends hovered around.

“Samantha, are you okay?”

My eyes darted around the mall as crowds formed at the checkout counter. “We have to get out of here. It’s not safe.”

“What are you talking about?”

“I saw it happen. They were dead. They were all dead.”

“Oh my god, this bitch is losing it?” Catherine mumbled as she looked around the store.

“Come on.” Rebecca grabbed hold of my arm. “I’ll take her outside. You guys finish up and meet us out front.” She escorted me out of the mall, reassuring me that everything was alright. Pushing open the glass door, we walked out into the sunlight. 

My eyes closed as the warmth penetrated my flesh. I leaned up against the brick wall as more people entered the store. “Things are going to get bad.”

Rebecca walked over and leaned up against the wall next to me. “What did you see?” Her eyes widened as I ran through the events. “When is this supposed to happen?”

“I don’t know. But I was here. I was attacked here!”

She wrapped her arms around me. “It’s okay.”

***

“Well if it isn’t Sickly Sight.” Paul plopped down on the couch next to me. He thrust his face close to mine and widened his eyes. “Can you see me? Can you see what I’ll become?”

I pushed him away as he laughed.

“Leave her alone,” Sean said as he sat in the recliner.

“Oh come on. Your sister sees things. She needs to get some help.”

I removed myself from the couch and ran out the room. Sitting at the dining room table, I leaned my head on my knuckles and embraced the silence.

My mother had the sight. My grandmother had it as well. No one ever believed them. Taunted, humiliated and discarded. It drove them mad. Both of them left this world broken. I refused to let the same thing happen to me.

“Are you alright?”

“No. Why couldn’t they pass this shit on to you?”

“Apparently I’m not feminine enough.” Sean pulled out the chair next to me and sat down. “I know this is hard.”

“No one believes me.”

“I do.” He placed his hand on top of mine and smiled. “Zombie apocalypse!”

“I never said they were zombies. They just weren’t alive.”

“Isn’t that what zombies are? Dead who come back to life?”

I tilted my head as I tried to find another word to describe them, but my tongue failed me.

“Yo,” Paul said as he ran in the room. “They just reported on the news, some guy broke out of the hospital. He’s supposed to be really sick.” He leaned into me and whispered in my ear, “Maybe he’ll bite someone.”

“Knock it off.” Sean grabbed him by his arm and dragged him out of the kitchen.

***

“I can’t believe I’m here.”

“It’s a big day for Sean. Of course you’re here.” Rebecca pulled out her cell phone and snapped a few pictures of herself. “I might do a live stream tonight on the event.”

I rolled my eyes and looked around the mall. Sean received an award a few weeks ago for helping an elderly couple who were being mugged. The locals decided to honor him with their own event at, of all places, the mall.

The crowd poured in from the parking lot as the clock struck 6:00 pm. The emcee gathered everyone on stage, stood at the microphone, and welcomed everyone to the event. Promising not to keep us too long, he pulled out a sheet of paper and began reading. After fifteen minutes, the majority of the crowd tuned him out.

My eyes drifted toward the red exit signs hanging over the doors. Trapped in the middle of the room, I needed to figure out the best way to get out of here if something happened. Rebecca brushed against my shoulder, trying to get me to focus on the event.

Sean walked up on the stage as the crowd applauded. He kept his speech brief and hurried back to the front of the crowd as the elderly couple walked toward the podium.

“Hey! Watch yourself.”

I turned around. A couple of men scuffled as someone pushed through the crowd.

“What was that?”

“Not sure.”

A scream broke through the chatter as everyone turned toward the back of the mall. Broken glass crashed against the silence as a group of employees ran out of the back room.

She walked out behind them, blood pouring from her mouth. Blue veins penetrated her face. Her gray eyes reflecting off of the white tiled floor. 

She lunged at the crowd as another ran out of the back room. Two more appeared. Trampling feet and screams collided as the emcee jumped off the stage, knocking over the microphone stand.

I ran toward the stage. My eyes peering through the crowd, looking for Sean. Rebecca grabbed hold of my arm and pulled me toward the door. The crowd hovered in front, blocking the entrance as more people crowded behind us.

The sun shone through the cracked door as everyone pushed their way through the exit. Spotting Sean, I broke away from Rebecca, grabbed hold of his arm, and pulled him toward the door.

A man moved toward us. A scream leapt from his lips as his body stiffened, trembling as his blue eyes turned gray. Sean grabbed my hand. We ran toward the van. Rebecca fumbled with the keys before finally getting it in the lock.

We climbed inside and slid the door closed as he charged toward us, banging his head into the metal. Moving to the other side of the van, we watched as everyone scurried through the parking lot, trying to survive long enough to find shelter.

Sean grabbed the keys from Rebecca’s hand, jumped into the front seat, revved up the engine, and sped out of the parking lot. The road blocked, he managed to make his way to the shortcut home, down a winding path, before almost crashing into a car as we made it back to the main road.

He sped down our street, slamming on the breaks, and making the sharp turn into our driveway. We ran inside the house, locking all the doors and windows. 

Rebecca grabbed the remote from the coffee table and turned on the television. ‘Emergency Broadcast’ flashed on the screen as the reporter stood outside the grocery store.

“Authorities are still looking for the man who escaped from the hospital yesterday evening. According to reports, he fell ill after returning from a trip. Unable to identify the cause of his illness, he was placed under quarantine in a separate wing of the hospital. He escaped last night.”

“We’re getting reports of people being attacked all over the state,” the broadcaster said as she questioned the reporter. “Are these events connected?”

“As of right now, we don’t have any definite answers. But for everyone’s safety, authorities are asking everyone to stay inside.”

“Oh my god.” Rebecca placed her hand on her chest as she collapsed onto the couch. “This is what you saw!”

I lowered my eyes to the floor.

“So, what now?”

“We stay inside, until it’s over.”