Red Eye

Part Seven

Still half-asleep, my hand fumbles as it tries to reach my phone to check the time. Once I finally manage to get a hold of the damn thing and look, I don't believe the date that flashes on my screen. I still don't believe it.

Had it really gone by that fast?

Somehow, I had survived this madness for a whole month.

Well I'll be damned.

Firing up the laptop and taking a quick scroll through the ZASurvivors site revealed little progress has been made as far as figuring all of this out, not that I'm really surprised. No new theories, no vaccine, no government reinforcements. Nothing. 

If anything, the bad news was just getting worse.

Reports of more and more attacks across the globe. Strictly within the United States, heavily populated cities like New York and parts of California saw a huge rise in violence. In the mass hysteria of everything that had been happening, some people were resorting to looting to find more supplies while others were becoming victims of shoot-outs as they tried to seek better shelter. The death toll was sky-rocketing and the amount of infected was on the rise as well. 

Why the hell is this happening?

Still nowhere near figuring any of this out, my attempts to delve into conspiracy theories just kept producing dead ends and mindless assumptions. Trying to put any rational thought behind a possible reason only led to more questions than answers. 

Seeking out a distraction from my frustration, I recounted my supplies and only made matters worse for myself by realizing they were dwindling much faster than expected. 

As far as food, admittedly, I've been going hard on the desserts. The stress-eating has gotten the best of me. There's still some bagels, loaves and a couple cakes- albeit a little on the dry side. Still some juice boxes left and the sparkling waters (though I can't say whether the "sparkle" is still there). Plenty of water; had to resort to using the tap which thankfully for now hasn't turned into brown sludge. 

Successfully managing to not injure myself yet, I haven't had to raided the first aid kit and stopping myself from excessive wadding, my toilet paper count is still relatively high. 

On a happier note, I haven't had any more run-ins with the Red Eyes since my first encounter, not that I've even bothered to leave this place. Every once in a while I peel back one of the layers plastered on the windows and do a quick perimeter check but the streets are still deserted, the bodies still untouched despite a few feathered visitors hovering above. 

By some miracle the electricity is still partially working so I've been able to keep everything fully charged though finding Wifi can be difficult at times. Still no word from my parents... or anyone for that matter. Can't say I'm holding out hope in that department...

You would think the loneliness would have gotten to me by now but I'm completely unfazed. The intrusive thoughts continue to plague me but I'm managing. I'm used to being on my own, having to rely on myself. 

For now, I haven't made an effort to reach out to anyone from the ZASurvivors account. Mostly I've been a silent observer- watching the videos, listening to people vent, reading the comments. This blog has become one of very few safe places left for people. Sure, there's a few bad apples in the bunch, the trolls that just want to cause trouble, but everyone has been kind and welcoming toward one another. Though we're all separated by thousands of miles, I can't recall a time when the world has ever been this close. Tragedy tends to bring people together, but I don't think we've ever truly faced something this devastating. 

In a very strange way, maybe out of the desperation this situation has put us all in, people have become more connected. People are sharing their stories, trying to comfort each other in times of grief, encouraging one another to keep going. Everyone is struggling, everyone is confused, everyone is just trying to survive another day. We're all on the same playing field. 

We're all in this together.

Shit... Did I just quote High School Musical? 

Maybe the loneliness is scrambling my brain.