The Broken Age

Scopophobia

Why is it so cold? Why are there footsteps? This is weird, I feel like I'm awake, but I can't control my body!

And then I was back. My eyes snap open and I raise my back to look around.

The fire was out, all that was left was ash, and charred paper 'you seriously thought that would go the whole night?' There were footsteps outside, I could hear the familiar grinding of dirt and stone among the sound of the crickets, and a strange hum. 'run.'

My cell mate was awake facing the same direction. He didn't seem bothered though. I shuffle back, in caution, until my arm made contact with Alices knee. She raises her head looking at me, to quickly change her focus of the sound outside. A figure approaches the door, 'run already!'

I couldn't make out their face, it was too bright outside, but their shape was familiar. Then the light immediately vanishes. Like with the flick of a switch, everything was dark again, except for the moonlight outside.

The figure was gone, it was quiet, no unnatural sounds besides insect calls and wind.

I look at Alice, she looks back at me, I crawl to the door, looking outside. Nothing, there was nothing, clear skies, and abandoned streets, 'where'd the light go?'

I Crawl back to the others, "Anything?" Alice asks with worry.

I shake my head, Cactus throws a fit letting out a long hiss. We all flinch at the sound. "We should leave, before it turns to day."

I grab my bag, and a still hissing Cactus, and put him in my pocket. The others get up and follow. I just really wanted to leave. It was cold, and I felt like something was watching me.

It was still cold. And I still feel like I'm being watched. I thought the feeling would stay with the building but it followed, everywhere we went I kept feeling it. Like something was just staring at me.

The night was... Uneventful, for the most part. Every time We found something flammable, we just gave it to my cellmate. There were some old dirty blankets and towels in the laundry chute of a building. And some peanut butter, and beef jerky, stashed inside the cupboards of another building. Every now a then I would see my cellmate looking back, and facing where we're going again.

When the sun started to rise, we camp down in the nearest building.

It was just an open empty room.

My cellmate drops everything he carried for the fire and starts setting it up. I take the blankets and food out of my bag, and lay them on the cold wood floor.

After the fire is set, we pass the food around. Alice didn't like the peanut butter, and my cellmate kept making clicking sounds as he ate it. I take a small bit of the peanut butter and some jerky for cactus and eat the rest.

The fire was nice and warm. We had some food. But I'm still so afraid. I still feel like something is with us. Alice was talking to my cell mate, but I didn't pay attention. I just wanted to hide. Go somewhere I'm not being watched. "You, okay?"

I look up to Alice and my cellmate staring at me "I keep feeling like something's watching me." I shake my head, she could probably see, that I wasn't doing well.

My cellmate faces me putting his hand on my shoulder, like he knew how I felt. He kept in that position for a solid minute. Then his head springs into action, facing a wall, and gives a deep growl showing his teeth in the process.

He stands up staring at that wall. Then runs to it.

We both watch in shock as something moves, an invisible figure, blended into its background, blurring it as it moves away. Like a distorted background, in the shape of a person.

He grabs onto the figure pinning it to the ground only for it to lift itself and him up, my cellmate grabs at its head and pulls, until there was a tearing sound. They both stop struggling and the figure puts him down. Its camouflage disappears showing a completely grey figure, very tall, and very unsettling. It lifts its arms, pulling on its suit revealing something metallic and shiny around its waist and takes the grey suit off its face as the stretchy fabric shrinks to fit the rest of the body.

It reveals its green face, and piercing slit eyes. My ears start to ring as I panic and crawl back.

That face.

That stare.

I could see it in my head. The abduction, the tests, our escape. It was her again!

"Hello!" Alice waves cheerfully at her. "Do you know her Zen?" She asks, looking back to me. 'Did she just call you Zen?'

I couldn't speak, I felt paralyzed. After a minute of awkward silence, I force myself to speak "W-Why are you back?" I stutter, she doesn't respond, but comes to sit by our fire.

My cellmate follows, sitting next to us again. Alice just looks at her, as she gave her probing stare to me. Then looks at me, fearing, and cowering back at the sight I was witnessing.

"Who are you?" She asks. The snake turns its head to face her, but she wasn't afraid, unlike the kids she was watching. Just curious.

"That is of no importance to you." She responds in her dull tone.

"Why-why were you watching us?" I force out. She faces me again

"Toobserve."