Act for Your Life

“It’s a nice day outside, isn’t it? The flowers certainly look beautiful.”

“Whatever you say, Sir. I cannot appreciate the beauty.”

Brad’s face was burning, and his eyes were swelling. Luckily, the man couldn’t see them.

He waited for the man to dispose of the body, dragging it to the side. 

“So, how's your day been?”

“It's been great sir. I’ve been trying to admire the scenery. He gestured at his eyes, hoping the man would buy the act.”

“Scenery, you say...”

A few minutes passed, with the man thinking. He slowly moved closer to Brad, waving his hand in front of Brad’s face.

He then mimicked a punch, which took Brad all his willpower not to flinch from.  

It all started a few minutes ago when the man and another person had been involved in a conflict. It ended with a knife- a brutal murder one that Brad could never unsee.  

It was buried not the shades of his glasses, which were large and covered most of his face. He had to think fast-how to escape from this murder with all his limbs. Surely the man would come and try to end him as well. 

Now all he had to do was act blind. And that was easier said than done.

The man continued to look at him suspiciously and then started to look around. Brad knew no person would come to save him. This was a secret path-one that very few people in the town knew of. And the bench that he was sitting on was his quiet place, but now, it was anything but a place for him to relax after a long day’s work. 

The Man moved closer to Brad, and sat down on the bench beside him, exaggerating his sighs. 

“Say, sir, you sound tired,” Brad said, putting on the act. 

“I am, indeed.” 

“I didn’t catch your name.”

“Matt.”

They continued the silence, and Brad kept looking ahead. 

Matt was looking at Brad suspiciously again, trying to peer behind his glasses.

He then got up and looked around, as if searching for something. 

“Do you need anything?”

“No… I was just wondering. Don’t blind people have walking sticks?”

“Yes. They do.” Brad’s face was burning, and he was frantically digging through his memory for an excuse.

“Once, you become more experienced, you do not need a stick as much. That too, I left my stick at home.”

“I see.”

They waited. And waited. The sun was setting, and the sky was filled with an orange glow.

“I better get going home.” Brad started, getting up.

“Do you live alone?”

“Yes, I do.”

“Why don’t you come over to my house? I would love to know what being blind feels like.”

“Sure. Why not.” Brad’s heart was thumping wildly. He didn’t know what to do. Was he walking into a trap? But he didn’t dare disobey. He knew it was a matter of life or death, and every move had to be chosen carefully

So they walked, hand in hand, into the sunset. 

Matt’s place was certainly very nice. After all, he probably killed people for a living, which was surely lucrative. 

“Sit down, why don’t you?” 

Brad moved toward the couch, but then stopped himself. He wasn’t supposed to know where everything was.

“Do you mind guiding me to a seat?”

Once he was seated, he decided to take a look around, but without turning his head. 

“I’m going to go take a quick shower. I’ll be right back.”

“Probably going to go and wash all the blood off his hands,” Brad thought. 

After making sure that he was alone, Brad got up and walked around. Everything seemed normal at first glance. And that was how it was-until he opened a cabinet. A human skull glared at him, and he whimpered. 

He moved on. A mini-fridge. What types of drinks did Matt like, anyway?

Blood. He liked blood. And a lot of it; 10 of the 1-gallon cans. 

Brad couldn’t stand it. He was deathly scared now. And that wasn’t the end of it. Everywhere he looked, he was blood, bones, or preserved limbs. 

Was this what was going to happen to him? 

Shakingly, he returned just in time for Matt to return.

“I think I’ll prepare dinner.”

“Okay. I would appreciate it. I’m starving.”

“So, how do you prepare dinner for yourself daily? I have a maid, and I usually get a delivery. It’s hard.”

Matt had taken out a knife and had started chopping some onions. The chop-chop sound filled the air, breaking the silence. 

Brad stared straight ahead, acting as normal as possible.

“Need any help?” 

“No, I’m good.”

A few moments later, Matt had stopped chopping and had moved closer to Brad. 

He was only a few feet away.

And then, with surprising agility, Matt threw the knife. With a sharp twang, it buried itself in the wall. Bard couldn’t help it. His eyes had followed the knife all the way through, and he knew instantly that he had made a mistake. 

He turned back to Matt, whose face was twisted in a smile.

“Interesting.”

“Hmm?” Brad asked, trying to be as innocent as possible. 

“How did you know the knife was coming?” Matt’s face was twisted into a sneer.

Please, just let me go. I need to think.

Keeping his face as straight as possible, Brad replied, “I could hear it. Blind people, due to our inability to see, like to use our ears more. Hence, we pay more attention to sounds.”

“Very interesting.”

Matt continued the conversation, prying into Brad’s daily life. He tried to keep it as constant as possible, out of fear about conflicting statements. 

A half-an-hour passed, with Matt continuing. He kept eyeing Brad suspiciously. 

“Okay, dinner is done.” 

Brad took a sigh of relief; he was getting closer to being home. 

“I think it's better if we have a candlelight dinner,” Matt said, holding up a lighter. 

“Whatever you wish.”

However, instead of lighting the candles, Matt moved closer.

With the flame still on, he bought the flame right next to Brad's face. It wasn't close enough for Brad to feel the heat, but it was making him nervous. He had to think fast. And then he had an idea.

He yawned, exaggerating the blow out of his mouth. It extinguished the flame of the lighter, making Matt look back at him in surprise. 

“All ready, Matt?” Brad asked.

“All good.”

 They ate, having an uneventful dinner. 

After they ate, Brad was nervous again. 

“I think I better get going,” Brad said, waiting for Matt to stop him. 

“I think so too. Well, I enjoyed your company.” He sighed. 

But before Brad could respond, his telephone rang. Matt looked back at him, and Brad stared back,  trying to be as normal as possible. 

Hesitantly, he picked up the phone. His friend’s voice echoed throughout the air. 

“Coming to the movies tonight?” 

 “You can count on it.”

 Matt’s eyes narrowed. But before he could react, Brad opened the door and ran for his life.