I had always feared many things as a child. Monsters under my bed, break-ins, and often I had terrible dreams about being the last one on the earth. My worst fear up until now was being lost and alone. The fear that one day I'd wake up and everyone I loved would be gone, along with everyone else in the world. This fear paralyzed me and more than often, I would wake in the middle of the night with cold sweat beading on my forehead and the desperate need to see my parents. I would tip-toe into their room and would only be relieved when I saw them peacefully sunk into a deep slumber.
Then one night I woke up somewhere completely different. L.E.D lights brightly illuminated above me, and my skin grew cold against the hard tiles. Shelves stood in isles stocked with various foods and tools. I was in a supermarket. I raised my hands looking at my arms. I stood knowing this was probably a dream. It had to be. There many reasons for why I couldn't have slept walked to the supermarket. It was often closed at this time of night. I figured it was probably around midnight as usual. I walked around until I found the broad, sliding doors. My eyes widened though seeing it was day. I walked out into the cold winter breeze and looked around seeing no cars flooding the highway, no one walking around or shopping in nearby buildings.
Suddenly a man stumbled from the next door pet shop. He looked distraught and confused. He looked around and finally fell, knees clashing with the concrete. He threw his arms in the air with total impatience. I slowly walked to him.
"Hello? Sir?" I quietly said. He looked up. His face brightened and he seemed suddenly the happiest person I had ever seen. He jumped to his feet, putting cold hands on my shoulders.
"Ha! I'm not the only one in the world!" He started laughing maniacally and kicked the snow with his cold, bare feet. I looked down at mine as well noticing I didn't have shoes either and we were both dressed in our regular pajamas. "What's your name boy?" He smiled again and looked down at me.
"I'm Seth, and I'm twelve." I looked around.
I pointed eagerly at a women who appeared from a building a few stores down. The man, who yelled his name back at me, ran toward the women. She jumped with excitement seeing him. Jim turned waving me over. The women looked younger than him, maybe in her 20s.
"Oh, we got a young one?" She asked as I walked up. "Hello I'm Carrie, and you are?" She put a hand out to greet me.
"Seth." I hesitantly shook it. I looked around waiting for the next person to show. Next was a man. He was different from us though. As soon as he emerged from the restaurant across the street, he fell to the ground, hands placed in front of him as he coughed and barfed everywhere. We all ran towards him trying to help him. Finally one more eruption of blood sprayed from his mouth, and he collapsed. Jim kneeled and put two fingers to his neck. He turned to Carrie and shook his head. I stood, air escaping my lungs, a panic attack suddenly taking over me. I couldn't catch my breath. Carrie came over to me assuring me it was okay. It wasn't though. When the panic attacks started I couldn't stop them. I had asthma and we needed to find an inhaler quick. Suddenly, in my panicked mind, I remembered that I kept my inhaler in my pockets even in sleep. I didn't like to keep it on my night stand because I often slept walk. I shoved a hand in my pocket and clasped my fingers around it. I took in a breath and sighed with relief.
Suddenly I heard a familiar voice yelling for help and yelling for anyone. It was my friend. My friend. I looked up, and saw Ben, he kneeled next to a teenage girl, who was coughing and puking like the man we had just tried to help. I ran towards him. This was not something the man adapted; this was some kind of sickness. I pulled Ben away. Suddenly as I looked around at our group and the fallen people I realized that all of us had the same fear. The fear of being the only ones left in the world and this was some kind of dream world. Jim must have realized it too because he spoke.
