Mute | Eric (A Quiet Place Day One)

Prologue

"Kota, you have to go to school!" Delilah yelled up the stairs. "Coming!" The young girl replied. Delilah swept around the candy shop that was always clean and didn't need to be swept. Dakota came rushing down the stairs. "The truck is coming in with a new shipment. I'll need your help. Straight home after school." Dakota nodded at her older sister and said "ok. I'll come straight home." Dakota kissed Delilah's cheek and rushed out the door. Delilah opened the shop and awaited for customers to come in. Her uncle, Harrison Wells was a household name. He had stores all over and his chocolate seemed to be something people had to have. "Do you need my help today?" Alice asked Delilah. Delilah shook her head and said "I don't think so. Are you going into the office today?" Alice nodded and said "apparently they need my computer skills. Which they should've had Niko do." "Why won't he work there again?" "He's lazy. You know that." "I'm not lazy, Alice. Just don't wanna work for that corporation." Niko replied as he went to leave as he kissed his wife. He opened the door as Story was coming in. "Have a good day, Niko." Story said. Niko looked at her and said "how'd you know it was me?" Story chuckled and said "I heard your shoes squeaking." Alice smiled at that and Niko said "have a good day, Story." "You too." She walked into the store, her walking stick clicking as she walked. "Did I miss Dakota?" "You did." Delilah replied to her. Alice gave me a quick hug and said "I gotta go. I'll be sitting behind a computer all day. Bye, Lilah. Bye, Story." "Goodbye." Story said over her shoulder as Alice walked out the door. "Where's Max?" Delilah asked. Story sighed and said "at work. He usually wants me to stay home but I get bored. I like to go out and be around people. And just be outside in general. It's also kind of hard to do that here in New York. There's no fields or forests." "Yeah, it does suck. You gotta go upstate." She told Story She shrugged and said "I figured I'd keep you company. I left Max a note." "I can always take you home." Delilah offered. Story shook her head and said "no. Max will come and get me after work." Delilah nodded and Story went to sit in a chair off to the side. "I got some new chocolates in. Wanna try them?" Delilah said. Story gasped and said "yes! Of course!" The both of them giggled and Delilah went to go grab the box of chocolates. Harrison Wells then stepped out of the back room. "Delilah, I'm meeting with a new employee today. He's transferring from the London shop. He's done so well there and I think he should be here, helping this shop thrive." Delilah furrowed her eyebrows and said "I thought I had this store. Is he going to be a manager?" "No, you'll still have your role here. He's just going to work alongside you. He should be arriving any minute now." Delilah nodded at her uncle and said "ok. That's fine." "Story, how are you?" "I'm very good, Mr. Wells. How about you?" "I'm great! I'm glad you're enjoying the chocolates!" Story smiled really big and said "of course! They're amazing!" Harrison went to reply to her when Eric walked through the door. "Eric!" Harrison said. Delilah looked over her shoulder and saw the curly haired Englishman standing in the doorway. The bell above the door dinged and Eric smiled as he greeted Harrison, the two men shaking each other's hands. "Welcome to the New York shop. It's not as big as the one in London but it's big enough." Eric looked around and said "it's nice. Bigger displays." Harrison nodded and said "of course! The shop here seems to do well! Lots of people come in on their way home from work and everyone seems to like the drink options." "Drink options? Are they new?" Eric was confused as to why the menu had changed. "Yes they're new. I'm planning on making that change at every store. They're selling like crazy! I didn't think I could produce something other than chocolate that would sell!" Eric chuckled at his boss's comment. "The tea's are great." Story said. Harrison smiled and Eric said "are they?" "Yes. They're amazing. I seem to get one every time I come. It also doesn't help that Delilah recommends something new every time I come." Eric furrowed his eyebrows and Delilah thought he looked cute as he was confused. "Oh, I almost forgot! Eric, you'll be running the store with my niece! This is Delilah." Delilah stepped forward and said "hello." Eric took in the pink pastel dress that poofed out around her thighs, the white chunky heels that had bows on top of them. Her hair perfectly curled and looked so so soft. Delilah held her hand out for Eric to shake. "M'Eric." He said nervously. Delilah gave him a warm smile and said "hi, Eric. I look forward to working with you." "Likewise." Eric pulled his hand away and Harrison said "I have to tend to other things. Do you think you could show Eric around the store and get him settled in?" "Yes, I can do that, Uncle." Harrison left the room and Delilah sighed. "Delilah, is it ok if I'm just eating these chocolates?" Delilah turned to Story and said "of course it is. How is your day going today, Eric?" Eric shrugged and said "it's going good. Could be worse. I'm in America working for a big company and other reasons of course but I'm excited to be here." Delilah smiled and said "that's awesome. So, I usually work this store with the help of brother's wife sometimes. But it's usually me. And my best friend sometimes as well. She alternates between the flower shop down the street and here." Eric nodded and said "ok. That's cool. Do you run the store in any particular way? Should I just follow you or do you want to just do our own thing?" Delilah thought about it and said "I think we can coexist by doing our own thing. Don't you think?" Eric nodded again and said "sure. I think we'll get along fine." Delilah clasped her hands together and said "good. So, would you like the grand tour?" She had a playful tone to her voice and her eyes were full of mischief. Eric gestured to the store and said "please." "So, this is the lovely counter where we will check out customers. And where Story sits and eats chocolate." Story giggled and Eric smiled at Delilah's funny voice. She gave him a tour of the store and was very happy to do so. Delilah had someone new to talk to and show him the ropes of their store. Eric thought Delilah's enthusiasm was adorable. "Any question about this grand tour?" Delilah gestured to the store dramatically. Eric shook his head with a small laugh. "No. I think you've covered everything." "Oh, of course." Eric leaned against the counter and said "how did you come to work for your uncle?" Delilah hopped up onto the counter and said "well, he raised me so being around candy and chocolate all your life is kinda cool. And then I decided I wanted to just work for him. I always had way too much fun in the stores. My sister not so much but I always loved it." Eric smiled and said "that's really nice." "Delilah?" Story said. Delilah and Eric turned to the blind woman who was sitting adjacent from them. "Yeah?" "Are you going to introduce me to your new coworker?" Eric stepped to her and said "hello. I'm Eric." Story held her hand out and said "I'm Story. How are you?" Eric shook her hand and said "I'm good. How are you?" "I'm great! It'll be nice to have someone else in the store. It's almost always me and Delilah." Eric pulled his hand away and said "do you live nearby?" "I live a few blocks up the street. My husband and I usually come here. He drops me off half the time but today I walked." Eric nodded and said "how long have you been married to your husband?" "Max and I have been married for three years now. What about you, Eric?" Story asked. Eric looked down at his shoes and said "it's just me. Has been for a while now." Delilah looked at the curly haired boy in front of her and tried to wonder how he didn't have a girlfriend. He was completely out of her league and she did not want to develop a crush on him but Eric was just so pretty. His brown eyes seemed to sparkle every time he spoke. Eric quirked an eyebrow at Delilah who said "I'm single and have been for years. Can't seem to find the one for me." "And what reason is that?" "My standards are too high." Delilah laughed and Eric giggled a bit. Delilah looked up at the clock and said "the truck should be getting here soon. We get to unload boxes. Yay." Eric groaned and said "I always hated that part." "Me too." Eric and Delilah worked their first shift with no problems. It seemed like they'd be able to work well. In the next coming weeks everything was normal. Long days at the shop for Delilah and Eric. Harrison Wells was planning on expanding his shops across the states. Since the shops originated in London. Delilah was helping him with that while trying to make sure her sister got to school every day. Harrison was Delilah and Dakota's legal guardian but Delilah was the one raising her younger sister. The two of them could fight anything. It was them against the world. Delilah hard to say it to her younger sister when their parents first died. When they went to live with their rich and eccentric uncle whom they'd never met, it was a little strange. Harrison grew to love the two girls as if they were his own. He was much too busy in his business to care what his brother had going on. What everyone didn't know was that the day the aliens came down would change everything. The day the world went quiet would change everything forever. Eric and Delilah would be thrown together in a life of terror and chaos. Everything was going to change. In a good and a bad way.

As yall can see this has been written before the movie has come out. I might and let me repeat that MIGHT go back and change some of this once I see the movie. But honestly, I've had this idea in my head for months and being able to get it out and write it feels so good. I've been planning this book since the first trailer dropped in February. So that's months of planning and ideas with just a trailer. Then we got the official trailer and I had some more ideas. I'm just hoping you all will just go with the flow on this. The majority of this book with be the same as the movie but with my own lil ideas and twist. I am a fan of the two original movies as well. Day One is a prequel to those and I cannot wait to see how everything started. My thought is the aliens came to New York first. They just happened to show up there first. As like a trial or test run. Because in the trailer you can see bridges and other things being blown up by the military who were probably trying to contain it. And then they eventually went to the rest of the world, trying to wipe out the human race. That's just my thoughts and yall don't have to agree with them but I'm a film nerd and once I start thinking, I spiral and think of the craziest theories and get attached to characters and study their whole story and personalities. Like right now, your girl is spiraling lmao. So once again, this was written before the movie and hopefully you guys really like it!!
~Skylar🛸🖤🛸🖤