Eyes

Prologue

   July 31st, 6:07 p.m  

          I was half way through eating the mouth watering burger I had ordered from the little diner on the corner of main street. My mother and father sat in the booth across from me, chatting with the waitress about the new apartment complex being built right across the street. As if on cue, a swarm of tired men wearing neon colors walked in taking a seat across from my parents and I. One of them looked oddly younger than the rest. Angelic brown eyes and the slight stubble of 5 o'clock shadow littered his chin. He caught me staring, quickly taking interest in the table I'm seated at, and I looked away. 

          Slowly exhaling, I tried my best to pay attention to the conversation happening between the waitress and my parents. But my mind kept wondering to the brown eyed boy. Why does he look so young compared to the others? Did he drop out of high school? Does he have a girlfriend? I snapped out of my daze to glance over to see him staring at me. He smirked charmingly and looked back to his co-workers, joining  in on their conversation.  

        Shortly after the bill had been payed, my father threw down a few bills as a tip to the seemingly nice waitress. My family made our way out of the diner. Stealing one last glance at the boy through the large window in the front, I leisurely walk down the sidewalk in pursuit of my parents. We decided on a short walk to our local grocery store to get a few groceries for the next few days. We walked, in grabbed a basket, and made our way around the store. Walking through the isles we grabbed a few things here and there when I saw the boy again. Walking past him I heard him mumble, "what are you doing stalking me?" I looked at him quickly seeing the same smirk he shared earlier. Choosing to avoid the comment, I followed my parents to the register with rosy cheeks. 

         After checking out, we left and began our short walk to the small house we lived in. In the midst of walking home, a deafening siren blared throughout the nearly empty streets. Shortly after the siren stopped, an intercom took the place of the sound. Listening closely to the deep male voice, he frantically explained the reason behind the abrupt noises. We were told to get inside immediately and shelter in place. The man announced that every resident of this town was to tune into channel four news and the mayor would explain the reasoning behind the sudden interruption.

          My parents picked up the pace in their steps as we walked home. I struggled to keep up, carrying a few bags of groceries in my arms. As soon as we arrived, my parents ordered me to lock all the windows and draw the curtains. Doing as told, I ran through out the house slammed and locked all doors and windows . As soon as I walked into the family room, I flicked on the television, and went straight to channel four. We listened to the mayor share what was going on. 

            Eyes filled with fear, the mayor began her speech. "Thank you all for your understanding, we know this is a sudden lock down. We recently got word of a deadly virus breaking out in the next town over. All people who come in contact with this virus will die.  Please do not worry, we have taken every precaution to keep all of you safe. There will be a few bags of necessities given to every family. Unfortunately, there can be no contact whatsoever with anyone outside of your own household. We will do our best to get your bags out as soon as we can. A few symptoms of this virus are, blood-shot eyes, fever, cough, runny nose, and vomiting. If you have any of these symptoms, you must isolate yourself. You need to do your best to keep others safe and well." Fear coursed through my body as she continued to explain. "Due to this being an air born sickness, we cannot allow anyone outside of their own homes. There will be a patrol. If you are caught sneaking around, you will be taken immediately to a maximum security compound. Please remember these precautions are for your safety and ours. If there is any news we will update you all as soon as possible. Thank you for your cooperation." The t.v goes black. All I can do is sit there, on the floor of my family room, in shock.