Just A Few Hours

I haven’t been able to sleep. Ever since last month, I haven’t had a full night’s worth of sleep. All I’ve been doing is trying to keep my house secure. The doors were all locked. Windows barred and locked. Everything that could attract attention has been muted or destroyed.

But that hasn’t stopped me from feeling unsafe in my house.

I can’t really remember how exactly this started. But I do remember that I tried to ignore everything. Go about my normal life by eating breakfast. No one was home like usual. Just me eating some yogurt with granola. Along with a black cup of coffee. It was the only way that I can wake up in the morning. Well, it was the only way I could wake up in the morning. I’ve run out of coffee a while ago. And I refuse to go outside to get more.

No, no, no. I can’t face it. I can’t face what is going on.

Please lord, I can’t go out there. I just can’t go out there again. I can’t remember the last time that I went outside. Can’t remember the last time that I had fresh air.

I miss the breeze on my skin.

But I can’t go out there. I can never go back outside to face this. So, I’ve been writing down my thoughts in a journal.

I can’t remember when I started it or why I started it either. Just remember that I need it. Need it for something. Something, something, fuck what was the something?

I can’t remember!

I need sleep but if I sleep, they’ll come and if they come, I’m dead. I don’t wanna die. I don’t wanna die. Please lord don’t let me die.

______________________________

The words cut off there. There was a strange substance at the bottom of the paper. Something that was thick, grey, and looked like mucus in a way. But you couldn’t be entirely sure if that was what it really was or not.

Nor were you going to take the chance to figure it out.

Instead, you just set the journal down right where you had found it. Unsure of what else you were meant to do with the thing. There wasn’t really anything useful in it for you. Nor did it really explain what was going on outside for the past six months. Or anything about whomever was writing this. Whoever had done it hadn’t even written their name in it. Which would really be useful for you. But you vaguely guessed why they hadn’t been bothered to do it.

Why bother to write your name down when you’re the only one that would be reading it?

It didn’t really make sense to keep signing your own name. Or putting the date down as it were to seem. As days possibly blurred together for this person whoever they were. You hadn’t seen signs of them when you entered. No signs that anyone living or otherwise were around. There was only dust on everything, and the only recent footprints were your own.

You suppose that this is for the best. What could you really say to this person anyway? Sorry that you broke into their house? That you just needed to use their bathroom? Get something to drink and eat? Like that would really go over well. But it was the truth. All you wanted was to use a real bathroom for once. One with a working toilet at the very least. Along with a good shower and some clothes to get out of your dirty ones.

It felt good to finally be clean.

Even if it wasn’t going to last long. At least you had a shower and brushed your teeth. Okay it wasn’t a real toothbrush, but your finger works just as good. It did when you were a kid. So, why not now? Besides, none of the toothbrushes in that bathroom looked good enough to borrow. Not steal, borrow. It isn’t really stealing when the homeowner isn’t there. And the world’s gone to crap.

Whatever, it wasn’t the important part. The important part was getting as much food as you could carry. Stuff that wouldn’t just go bad if you didn’t eat it right away. Like the canned goods that you had a can opener for. Some bags of beans and rice. Along with a pot to cook them in. Some nuts, granola, and dried fruits. Lots of bottled water to keep yourself hydrated for a while. How long? You’re not entirely sure. But you hoped it would be for a very long time. While you shoved them into bags, you listened for signs of the journal writer.

Nothing so far.

But quiet doesn’t necessarily mean good. Sometimes it just means nothing. That everything would just be normal, and you wouldn’t be hurt. Other times you had to run from whatever those things were. Eyes all fogged over with that green foam dripping. Either from what was left of their tear ducts or from their noses and mouths. A few times you’ve noticed the gunk leaking out of their ears too.

You didn’t know what the stuff was. But it only barely impeded the creature’s ability to come after you. And anyone that crossed their paths.

You wished their eyesight were destroyed because of the foam.

It would make getting supplies easier. Running from them too. You were glad that they weren’t stronger than the normal human being. And any form of hits kept them down for a while. Breaking their legs seemed to be your best bet. You kept a crowbar with you for this purpose. Tied straight to your waist. Never taking it off even if it really impedes your movement a little bit.

You toyed with it as you finally finished getting food and other supplies. Nothing really seemed to be out of the ordinary. So maybe it would be okay to take a tiny nap in? Just one little nap?

Like the author of the journal, you were so tired and hadn’t slept well in a while.

Surely, it wouldn’t hurt to take one nap, right? Just one little nap. You reasoned that it probably would be fine. So, you walked upstairs to find where you last seen the bedroom. Soon as you got to it you checked it thoroughly. Looking under the twin bed that was against the wall. Poking the crowbar into it to make sure it was empty.

Thankfully it was.

You then moved to the tiny closet in the room. Aside from hangers without anything on them there was really nothing. No trap door or signs that a human was in there. Just an empty closet. With a soft sigh you push a dresser against the bedroom door. Making sure that no person or thing could get in with you.

Then you crawled under the covers and laid your head on the pillow. Curling in on yourself as you vowed to get a few hours of sleep. A few hours of sleep and then you would move to the next town.

Just a few hours then you would leave.