Blindfolded

|Two|

I was woken up by my dad in the middle of the night. "Jordan," he whispered frantically. "Jordan, get up." I opened my eyes and sat up slowly. I mumbled a question of what was going on. "Jordan, get dressed. I packed you a bag." I rubbed my eyes and looked at him. "What?" I asked.

My mom ran into my room. "She is not leaving us!" she screamed. I finally felt awake. "What?" I repeated. "She is not staying here waiting to be killed!" he yelled back. My heart dropped. What were they talking about? Why would I be killed? Why am I leaving? What's going on?

My dad shoved her out of the room and slammed the door, locking it. He turned my light on and looked at me. His eyes were glossy with tears. "I packed you a bag. It has food, water, clothes, and you can pack whatever else you want. But don't forget a blindfold. You must never take your blindfold off." My mom pounded on my door, demanding to be let in. I heard my sister's cries from her bedroom. "What?" I said a third time, hoping for an answer.

"Do you know about the SCP Containment Breach?" he said quickly. I nodded. "SCP 096 escaped and got caught on the news. Live news." he explained. I paused. "SCP 096?" I asked. "SCP 096," he began, "will seek you out if you look at his face. He will find you and kill you." My heart dropped even further. "You are the only person in this house who didn't see it on the news." he said. "You have to leave."

It felt like a dream. None of it felt real. Getting dressed didn't feel real. Getting my bag and filling it with more things didn't feel real. Climbing out my window without being able to say goodbye to my family didn't feel real. Putting on my blindfold didn't feel real. None of it felt real.

I had to run from everything I loved. I had to run without looking back. I had to run without hesitation. I had to run from it all.

All I could see in the black of my blindfold was my family's mutilated bodies after SCP 096 was done with them. I saw Niki and Jake waking up to their dead parents, blood spattered across the house. I thought about running to get them, but I remembered what my dad told me. Don't stop for anything. Forget everything and everyone you ever loved or cared about. You have to move on and never stop running. And most importantly, never take your blindfold off.

I heard my sister's shrieks of pain echoing in my head. The sound of Jake trying to breathe after running for as long as he physically could. The sound of my own heart pounding so fast and hard that I feared it might break through my chest and fall out in front of me.

My body felt weak after only a few minutes. I wanted to lay down and wait to be killed. I wanted to hold my sister close so that she wouldn't be alone when she died. I wanted to go back in time and turn off the TV when they were watching it, or at least watch it with them. I didn't want to be alone for the rest of eternity. I couldn't handle the thought of it. I didn't want to have to be blind for the rest of my life. I didn't want any of it.

The thoughts overwhelmed me and I fell to my knees, sobbing. I heard my cries echoing in the air around me. I wanted to punch something, but I was too weak to even move. So I laid there. I laid on the ground, letting my body shake with sobs. Letting myself feel my heart ache. I hugged my bag close to my chest, burying my face into it. This was going to be my only friend for the rest of my life. I was going to be alone. Forever.

It felt like I was there for hours. I felt the air grow colder as it supposedly became nighttime. I reached in my bag and felt around for my jacket. The frustration of not being able to find it made me cry again. I eventually gave up and sat there, feeling my tears getting caught in the blindfold. After a few minutes of pure hopelessness, I stood up shakily and slipped on my bag. I took a few deep breaths and began walking.

This was my new life. Just me, my things, and my thoughts.