Deadly Silence: A Horror Anthology

Caught

The door opened, a gloved hand pulled the door back. It was ghostly pale and almost immersed in the colour of the door. The heating sun's rays began entering inside as a foot covering in brown leather shoe, strapped with laces and belts stepped outside. A swing of wind brought the tiny particles of dust on the stage. The ominous silence of the street was terrifying. People walked fearfully. Looking at each other, wondering. The clouds had ceased to play tricks with the sun. Everything had a fear of its own. Women wondered about their children, their husbands, mothers, their family. Hoping that none of them would catch the cold, they would pray extra in the church, give more money in the donation box just to not let anyone of them get, The Aerico.

As the door met the wall a figure of, tall and perfectly round bodied woman with dark-brown hairs and pale skin appeared. However this would have been the case if that wretched thing
did not exist. Rose Flore was fully wrapped in clothes, not even hand wrists were visible. She stepped out of the house. Covered with a screen-guard and wore a white mask on those beautiful lips. 

The atmosphere was tense, No car ran on the streets of London. Buses kept arriving at every 5 minutes, on time. Rose would scamper away from the bus as if it was a brute dog. She had read some where, it said that the emission of the gases caused asthma. That could develop symptoms like Aerico. She looked at the people going past her. Through her eyes, everyone had Aerico. 

" That man, oh god!! He has the fangs!! " she thought, immediately stopped and went to the next street. 

" Be safe Rose, Be 5-metre apart from everyone. " she said to herself. Then her eye caught of the glimpse of a woman, she was 5-6 years older than Rose. 

" What is she doing? " 

The woman did not wear a mask and was kissing her baby. Rose kept her pace. She had to cross this lady

" She did not wear a mask!! She did not wear a mask!! Aerico Aerico!! " the thought rang in her head constantly. Her paced slowed down. But the shop was just beside her. She had to do it. Somehow she had too. She kept walking slowly towards her, until she came parallel to her and that's when the woman gave an open sneeze.

" STAY AWAY!!!" Rose's thought rang, 

She jumped away from the woman and rang, she was still looking at the woman. 

" She sneezed!! Sh---

HONK HONK!!!

Rose was right in the middle of the street, fixed by what she had witnessed. A bus was coming,

HONK HONK!! 

Rose snapped from the her gaze and ran towards the left of the street, her shoe tripped on the pavement and she fell on her chin. Immediately she got and began to spray Disinfectant over herself. 

" This was a bad decision! " she thought,

She didn't dare to go back to that shop, since that woman was still there. No, there was no way Rose Flore was going in Gregg's 

She decided to try the supermarket. It was 4:00 now. If she could start now she'll reach home at 5:00. Normally car would bring her back at 4:45 but that thought was even introduced in her mind ( What if the driver has Aerico? )

On foot she walked towards the supermarket. Making sure to remain 5-metres apart from everyone. Then suddenly a guy pushed her shoulder from behind,

" Excuse me, Sorry " he said,

But Rose wouldn't hear that, her hand went straight towards the sanitizer. She put it on her shoulder and wiped it out with a tissue and then put the tissue in the box, Sanitising her hands again.

Her nerves were getting agitated now, a paranoia set inside her. Everything looked dangerous, everybody looked vicious. As the wind swept the dust, Rose closed her eyes and huddled herself together. 

There was a hospital which came en-route to the market. That building was now the modern church.  Nobody hated it. Charity funds and big donors had now made, what earlier looked like a drug store into a multi-specialty hospital and it wasn't just this hospital. Hundreds of people gathered at the hospital. Not to get checked but to see what is going on inside. Reporters were caught multiple times making documentaries on the horrors of the hospitals. Many of them disguised themselves as nurses. The key  to the cure of Aerico was in one of these. 

Rose kept walking. A vendor was outside selling something. He was cooking something in front of everyone. Rose's eyes bulged. 

" No!! No No no " she thought, 

She decided to change the track. In no case should she get Aerico. In no case. 

Finally reaching the market, she went inside. 

There wasn't much available there. She first went to the breads section, she bend down to take a look at that, no she needed to check the fluffiness of the bread. She moved her hand when to thought struck her,

" Should I? Will it not? What if it is? " she thought

After spending 2 minutes wondering whether to touch it or not. She pinched the tip of plastic and dropped it in the basket, which infact was sanitized by Rose, even when she saw the worker sanitize it  ( They don't do it with full precaution ) 

Then she headed over towards the grocery section. Suddenly she heard a cough. She stopped, the back of her hair rose. Where did it come from? It was close to her, is it that uncle? is it that person? It is him?  or is it that girl? Oh no so many people?!

She had now become fully aware. Every step must be careful. Tears had begun to form. 

" What if I. . . " 

She rejected the thought, moving on she reached the vegetable section. Washed Carrots £2.19/kg, Potatoes £1.38/kg, Tomatoes £9.32/kg

" What the hell? Tomato rates are sky rocketing " she thought

She bought lettuce, Mushrooms along with them  and headed over to Butchers but Chicken Thighs were not available. She got sausages, Bio Bardales Cooking Chorizo. Then bought Eggs £2.50/each

Finally everything was done. A sigh of relief set inside her. The most difficult task was done now what was left was checking out and run back into the house. As she went towards the counter,

CRASH!!

there was a sound. Somebody broke something probably. Within a moment another sound came

CRASH!!

and then another 

CRASH!!! 

The worker got worried and rushed towards the sound, without thinking Rose followed. They reached the point, a man was lying on the ground clutching his throat. Everybody gathered around. 

" H- Huh Hu- Help!! " the man squealed

The workers began to lift him up, touching very less. Somebody called the Ambulance, the hospital was close and they came within 10 minutes of call. Rose could see the man, he had grown pale, breathing ceased to non. Eyes had tears and were red and itchy. Nose had begun to run releasing all the mucus out. He had grown all sweaty. They took him off and out of the market. Then 4 other people came in with big tanks of disinfectant. Rose stood still, what had she done? She had stood near a Aerico patient. No this was not meant to happen.

She rushed to the counter and checked out, rushing straight to home. She unlocked the door. There was a voice mail on the telephone,

" Rosie, the reports of our earlier Aerico test came, we all are infected. I took Leah and Brad with me, Mom and dad are coming with the family. . . and don't you worry this will be alright. Not every Aerico patient dies. S. . suhm. . some survive too, you just come. I'll be waiting" 

It was from Joseph, the bag of all the items slipped from her hands. Making contact with the floor, the eggs broke and tomatoes squashed down. After taking every precaution, every step was careful. Not even a single symptom to anybody and still, and still they all caught Aerico. Tears came down from her eyes. She had avoided it many times but now she had met it in Samara. She had met Aerico in Samara and now the chase was over.

The End