Imagine

One fine day you wake up in the morning.

Realize that everything is eerily silent.

No you are not deaf, you can hear the clock ticking.

But why aren’t the birds chirping?

You step out from your bedroom.

Where is everyone?

You search the whole house.

Your heart starts to beat faster.

Your family can’t just leave you like that.

The car keys are at home, no they haven’t left.

You call their names.

No reply.

Panic kicks in.

Something’s wrong.

You look out of the window.

Everything is so calm.

Where the hell is everyone?

Why are there no vehicles on the road?

You pick up your phone and dial your family member’s number.

The cell phone rings.

The noise is coming from the other bedroom.

You go see, nobody is there.

You dial everyone’s number at home.

Why has everyone left his or her cell phone at home?

You call your friend.

A human voice might calm your nerves.

Same result. Keeps ringing. No one picks up.

What the hell?

You go out of the house.

Nobody is on the streets.

The streets are supposed to be jam packed at this hour.

Your vision darkens.

Adrenaline kicks in.

Your heart is thumping.

You walk back in.

You switch on the TV.

No signal.

You sit down for a moment.

You think.

You ask yourself whether this is a dream.

But it’s too real to be a dream.

Rational thinking begins.

It’s a prank.

They are trying to scare me.

But again, you panic.

The thought that nobody is on the street scares you.

Today is a working day and there’s not a soul on the road.

Even if it were a holiday, the roads would be busy.

This has never happened in your life before.

The neighbors must be home.

Oh yes!

Should knock on their door.

And you end up banging on their door.

No one answers.

You scream.

You try the next house.

Same result.

You are terribly scared.

A tear runs down.

One more tear.

You are now crying.

You call your mom’s name.

Your dad’s name

Your loved one’s name.

Where is everyone?

You walk back to your house.

Turn on the tap.

Splash cold water on your face.

Pick up the phone.

Hesitate.

You want to call the cops.

But are you over reacting?

Hell no.

You dial the number.

Long beep.

You dial again.

Long beep.

Sulking, you grab the car keys.

You are brave now. It’s the adrenaline.

You wipe those warm tears.

You make a mental note to give a piece of your mind to your family.

You reverse your car out from the parking.

You head out into the streets.

You think of those horror movies.

Your brain is mature enough to differentiate reel life and real life.

Oh God.

No one.

No shops are open.

Not a single human being.

Something is terribly terribly wrong.

A few cars are parked on the main road.

No one does that.

No one is on the inside.

Your mind now confirms that something is wrong.

You head to your friend’s house.

You bang on the door. It’s locked.

You are tired of this shit now.

You dial all the numbers again.

No one picks up.

Some numbers give a long beep.

Your heart feels like it will burst any moment.

You feel dizzy.

You drive back home.

It’s just a bad dream.

You just need a small nap.

And wake up from this dream.

It’s a glitch in the matrix. You say to yourself.

You laugh to yourself.

First laugh ever since all morning.

You reach home.

Someone must be home by now.

You hope.

No.

Headache begins.

Fear erupts.

You drink a glass of water.

Oh. The dizziness.

You lie down. You close your eyes.

You drift off to sleep unknowingly.

Now you are at peace.

After a while, you wake up.

In that waking moment, reality kicks in.

Life begins from where you left it.

Nothing has changed.

Panic. Fear. Hysteria.

What will you do now?