As you'll notice within the first few chapters, this story was written during the height of what became known as the Covid-19 Pandemic and was heavily influenced by the feelings of anxiety, uncertainty and frustration that were triggered during this event.
Like many, I tried to deny the feelings of ever-growing panic and being forced into quarantine only confirmed my fears. Trapped within my own home, I sought distraction and relief in screens that offered me glimpses at a world on edge and I soon found myself even more afraid of something I had already been treating with caution. I kept retreating inward, reflecting on simpler times when ignorance had convinced me that nothing bad could ever happen. Long after we were released from what felt like ages of confinement, I was hesitant to face the devastating consequences of a scared and misinformed public. I didn't want to leave the safe space I had conjured from fond memories.
As the writing continued, the story became much more than I had originally intended for it to be. What I was trying to tell about the horror out there slowly became more about the horror within ourselves. It became about how we navigate our lives in a world full of ego, corruption, pettiness, hatred, and more. It became about how haunted we are by our regrettable actions, our misspoken words, our unchangeable past. It became about loss at its most devastating.
Ultimately, this story became about how the monster is rarely who we think it is and how often trying to defeat it can be much hard than we ever thought.
YOU ARE READING
Red Eye
HorrorIt's the end of the world and I'm trapped at Starbucks... When an unknown disease turns everyday citizens into rage-filled monsters with bloodshot eyes, a wannabe novelist must fend for themselves inside a popular coffee shop. TRIGGER WARNINGS FOR M...
