Mr. 0

X

   You smiled clutching your bag on your arm as you walked through the crowded streets, smiling kindly to the people who passed you and nodded to a few in return.

You slipped past the large body of people as you came to a corner store, going to pick up the usual baked goods you'd always gotten as if it were timed.

"Here you are miss."

"Thank you very much."

As if it were scripted, you walked out and took in a deep breath of air, before continuing on your walk around the town casually.

You glanced at a cafe where the people bustled and talked to one another, some perched under umbrella tables while others enjoyed the sun, sipping on their coffee or iced teas.

As you passed more strips more and more people came into view, some hurrying around you in a frantic way while others simply pushed past with brute force.

You let out a small sigh, clutching the bag of pastries in your hand as you continued on your walk, stopping at the intersection of the road where the crosswalk was.

Your eyes watched the lights flick between red and green before coming to the walking sign, urging yourself to hurry before the time ran out.

You hummed softly, tapping a finger against the crinkly brown bag in your hand as a sudden gust of wind kicked up your hair and tickled your skin.

You smiled, looking around at the clear sky and the few birds that'd fly over every once in a while.

You glanced out of the corner of your eye, noticing a large man sitting at a table outside of the local deli.

You raised an eyebrow, ushering yourself over to cross onto the sidewalk to get a better look.

He seemed familiar to you, in what way you couldn't pinpoint, but he seemed to have something quite nostalgic about him.

As you came closer you could hear the hushed talk over a phone, stopping in your tracks as you took a step back and leaned against the display window.

"Make sure everyone is out of the town before hand, I don't need to lose anymore people...I'll be fine, just make sure to meet me up or there will be consequences.."

You stood taken aback, quickly hurrying past him not giving him a second glance as you ushered back to the other side of the street to your apartment.

You hurried up the stairs, not bothering to return the welcome from the neighbor as you fiddled with the lock and key, jiggling the handle before opening the door and briskly walking in.

You sat your things out on the table, looking around frantically as you kicked your shoes off.

What did he mean?

Get people out of town?

Nobody seemed to be leaving so what could possibly be happening!?

You searched frantically for any sign of tampering; knocking on walls and searching through bedrooms to find something, anything!

A bomb? Poisonous gas? You were starting to feel paranoid at the very thought of it.

An uneasy feeling settled in the pit of your stomach, making you feel sick as you sat at the kitchen table.

Were you going to die? How many people did that man plan on killing if he wanted people to get out?

Who was he in the first place?

You shook your head and stood, rubbing your arms as you glanced out of the window and carefully turned to look at the clock.

2:53

A few minutes before three, when was this going to happen? Or begin possibly?

What was going to happen to you?!

More importantly your loved ones, what were they to do?

Thankfully they lived a few towns over, and hopefully this would be the only town targeted; you prayed, anyway.

You closed your eyes and took in a deep breath, calmly making your way to the door as you slid your shoes back on and grabbed your bag up, mindlessly gripping and twisting the strap as you opened the door and walked out into the hallway.

You turned and closed the door, locking it back before making your way down the hall and to the stairs leading out into the street.

You walked slowly now, looking down at every crack in the sidewalk and dent in a pole.

Shattered glass on the ground or a weed sprouting from between the concrete slabs.

Now you felt utterly hopeless, as though you had nothing to live up for anymore.

Were you being too dark? Too deep perhaps? Maybe it wasn't so bad after all!

But you knew deep down that something tragic was to come of this day, and you wished that you hadn't woken up to hear it; wish you hadn't tried to pry into conversations that weren't meant for your ears.

You wiped the worry from your face as you made your way back to the town square, the big clock almost striking the hour as you walked across the way.

You kept glancing around at all of the oblivious faces; an angry couple walking together as a child wailed and screamed a few yards away with a frantic mother chasing after it.

You shut your eyes and breathed in, taking a few steps more before making it to the park, taking your refuge on a bench alongside the trail.

You glanced at your phones screen, looking at the time as though your life had depended on it; and maybe it did.

3:00

You looked around, noticing no changes in the days behavior.

No sirens.

No ambulances.

No nothing.

You let out a contented sigh, leaning back on the bench as your eyes closed and a smile stretched itself across your face.

When your eyes opened, you looked around and felt a cold feeling wash over you: the streets were eerily quiet now, not like the soft quiet that hummed throughout the town, but a white noise.

You stood and looked around, noticing the birds still chirping and picking at scraps on the street, signs that still read open even though there was no bustling of people.

As you walked forward you noticed a few people sprawled throughout the sidewalk; laying lifelessly.

You hurried over and shook one, tilting your head as you turned the body over to find the gray face of death; a chill running up your spine as you checked the others; all dead.

You ran throughout the streets, searching for any sign of life.

You walked back through town square, frantically searching for someone, anybody!

The couple that were arguing now lay together in harmony on the road, a mother and son laying among strangers.

As you walked further into town the more death you found, lifeless bodies laying still as if they'd just dropped dead.

Cold lifeless eyes looking up to the sky as you walked past.

The bustling cafe now silent as its patrons lay unconsciously dead on the grounds; the same for the ones inside.

You looked up and above to the sky and cried out as loud as you could; to who you didn't know but also didn't care.

Anyone that would listen to you, anyone that could still possibly be left.