Picking up the pieces

They are going to kill us all MIND CONTROL! The last things I heard before fading to black after a long day of being a normal 20-year-old. You know the stage where your parents nag at you about good grades and getting your degree, but you just want to enjoy your young years, cause hey you are only young once, Pretty sure I heard that in a song on the radio or on my daily shuffle. I arose with an eerie feeling, I have never felt like this before. I rolled over to check my phone like I always did before starting my day and was extremely confused. An alert from twitter saying that the whole country would be on lock down due to an outbreak coming out of Nevada and was rapidly spreading to the east. I quickly shot up out of my bed to turn on the news, probably the first time I’ve voluntarily turned on the news in my whole life, that shits for the old people who couldn’t manage to use a smart phone. The headlines read unknown aircraft crashes in Pahrump, Nevada. Now I’m a huge conspiracy guy and I know what’s in Nevada,Area 51. Maybe one of the aliens wanted to see what all the bright lights were in Vegas and saw all the filthy prostitutes and just wanted to end it. That’s something you can never unsee and if that’s the case don’t blame him one bit. I'm waiting for the following news headline that just says its just a weather balloon or something to just hide the fact that we aren’t the only ones out there.

Boy was I wrong the next headline read disease outbreak with no found cure President Paten orders a complete shelter and place. As I started to read this I couldn’t even finish before my shot glass rack started to shake like that junkie that lives across the street from me. Then a loud roar of a few jets filled my house and felt like it was WW3. I bolted for the door to find my family to make sure everything was okay. As I opened the door, I was greeted by my mother who looked like something straight out of a history book when they were teaching the plague. I couldn’t even think of something to say before she threw a mask at me and ordered for me to put it on like a god damn drill instructor. She looked panicked and she has always been the calm one in disastrous situations. I remembered the hurricane that ripped through our area when I was about seven or eight and the lady was unphased by it. Still going on with her business like it was sunny and 80 degrees outside meanwhile our house was one more win gust away from being in the Atlantic Ocean. 

This had to be bad. I asked her what was going on and where was dad and both those questions flew over her head, she would never ignore me especially in times like this. I feared going outside because it sounded like a warzone. I thought to myself that this was just a virus why is the world going batshit crazy. My first thought was to check my phone to see if my friends were okay and to see if maybe they knew what was going on cause half of them have family in law enforcement. Not a single bar of reception, well I’m screwed. Immediately I went to go peer out the window and was surprised at what I saw. It was a clear sky, birds chirping and the sun was shining a truly perfect day. There was something eerie about it. Ten minutes ago, it seemed like I was going to open a blind to complete mayhem. I walked downstairs to see if my parents had a plan for what was next. It was just my mom glued to the seat in front of the television. Mom what is going on? she looked at me and said sort of robotically nothing’s wrong honey aren’t we so lucky to have president like ours?

She than told me to answer the phone but it wasn’t ringing. Extremely confused because not too long ago she was completely panicked. I ran outside to see if our neighbors were home to see if they knew what’s up. Before I could even knock, I was stunned at what I saw. They were all standing in a circle looking like zombies, all starring at …. Their phones. As I put my face closer to the glass to get a closer look and make sure they weren’t all looking up to see what was going on with this virus BANG the little daughter slammed into the glass out of nowhere chanting” ANSWER THE PHONE. “As she chanted off in the distance I could see the families necks all snap and they started to dart towards the door. I’ve seen enough scary movies in my day to know if something doesn’t seem right you don’t wait and see you fucking run! so I did I darted like Usain in the Olympics back to my house. I almost broke through my door and what I saw when I walked in will change me forever. My mother was doing the same thing that my neighbors were doing but this time there was no glass between us. Just me and her , on the table I could see a knife but I thought if I stayed quiet id be able to sneak away pack a bag and get out of there and go find refuge somewhere else. 

As I got to the steps, I felt a chill go down my back and a cold lifeless hand touch my shoulder. “Honey did you answer the phone?’’ I continued up the steps because I was not answering the phone if I’m going to be stuck like that! I quickly slammed the door behind me and packed a bag and went to go open the window. It wasn’t opening oh no why isn’t it opening right now. It always opens right away I would know from the countless times sneaking out to hang with my friends when my parents gave me a curfew. Hearing footsteps coming up the stairs now, not one set but it sounded like multiple steps. They are coming now it is do or die time Literally! I reached for the closest weapon and braced to fight off whatever came through the door. It was every man for themselves now. My worse nightmare happened next … I forgot to lock the door. The door swung open and it was time to face the music. In the doorway stood my mother and my neighbors. At the same time their eyes rolled back and came back a ghoulish black. Chanting “ANSWER THE PHONE” as they inched closer and closer. I panicked and threw the closet object which ended up being a snow globe I got when I was in middle school from some tropical island on a vacation. At this point I don’t think souvenirs mattered so I chucked it but they all ducked in unison and the globe smashed up against the wall splattering everywhere. 

They pinned me into my bed and as they reached for me one last time and I said my last prayer I felt a warm hand not the cold one I felt before. It started to shake me and I started to feel myself fading from reality. The tone of the voices changed; it went from creepy to the sound of an angry parent. “SON WAKE UP WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU” as I heard this, I arose from my bed with my tv blasting a conspiracy video on how the government was taking over the world through our cellphones. You have to be kidding that was a dream? My dad looked at me and man I wish I was still being attacked by my zombie mom.  I looked past him to see my snow globe shattered on the floor and a huge stain on the wall. After a big lecture I went downstairs for breakfast, everything was normal. As breakfast concluded my dad went to do yard work and it was just me and my mom. “you must’ve had quite the dream last night” I answered saying that it felt like real life. As I went to go walk up the stairs my mom said one last thing. 

“Did you ever answer the phone ?”