Blinds

The outside world was unknown to her, but she could see a glimpse of it through the window in his room. It was a small basement window, up quite high, looking out onto the street. The worlds worst window, dad had called it. Supposed to be a safety valve if there was ever a fire, or gas leak, or if you got trapped in the basement, but there was no way to open it. Break glass in case of emergency, he said, and laughed. She didn’t understand the joke.

Next to the window was an old calendar. At the end of the world no one bothers to produce new ones. They had just re-used it, crossing off each new day to cling to some normality and keep track of time, not that it meant anything anymore.

She had been told to stay away from the window but Dad had been gone for longer than usual and so she risked a quick peek. Beyond the build up of dust and detritus she could make out the street, same as it always looked now: broken, worn, empty. The supermarket had been a lifesaver when their original supplies had ran out, but others found it before long, and it was now as broken and empty as everything else. She could still make out the legs of that man who had fallen through the store window. He had been there a long time now. What was left of him at least, after the dogs came. She told dad about it as it was happening. Dad was blind now, like most everyone else. Except her. No one knew how, or why it had happened. The blind suddenly gained, or re-gained some form of sight, and everyone else slowly lost theirs. Her overwhelming joy at being able to see her surroundings was short-lived as the rest of the world, unprepared for blindness was already starting to collapse. Dad, having an idea of what was coming did all he could to protect them before his own sight left him. Looking out the window and telling him everything that was happening (not much, often) was how they passed a lot of their time. Until the day a man appeared leading a group. He could see. It was obvious to her. Everyone else stumbled along, reaching out for support. They were all tied together. The man had stopped and looked down at the body in the store window, looked into the store, told everyone to stay still, disappeared into the store, returned empty handed, then led the group away again. Ever since then Dad had tried to keep her away from the window. If he saw her, found out that she could see…

Dad had gone out looking for food, but every time he went out now he was away for longer. Food was scarce enough since society had collapsed but now he was trying to find what was left while blind. She begged him to take her along. She would be able to see things he would miss. It would be some much easier. Plus she would get out of this basement they were living in and see the world beyond the limits of their window.

No

Every time, No.

She tried to sneak out once but he caught her. She had often found him crying for the world he once knew, for the world he lost with his sight, but rarely had she seen him turn to anger. That day he was angry. He lashed out at her with words. You don’t want to see what’s out there. You don’t want to see what we become when everything is taken away. I can smell it. I can feel it when I stumble over it. I can hear it. Tears streamed down his cheeks. He reached out to her, taking her face in his hands. I know you want to get out of this place, and, believe me, a pair of working eyes would be a godsend, but, I cannot, CANNOT, subject you to what is out there now. You’re so young, and there is so much horror…so much horror.

She hugged him, and cried. And that was it. It was probably for the best that her young mind couldn’t truly comprehend the downfall of society when everything you know, every comfort, every convenience, every pleasure is stripped away and everyone begins fighting for themselves. She never tried to sneak away again.

He had been away so long this time she was starting to get scared, and hungry. They had some tins of food, but it was mostly the ones with dogs on and it wasn’t very nice. She figured if dogs eat people it’s only fair that people eat dogs. Dad had laughed at that when she said it, then asked her what was on the other tins. Let’s save the dog until were really hungry, he had said.

She was considering opening one of the tins when she heard a commotion outside. Someone was out there by the window. She saw a shadow fall over it.

“I think someone’s in here,” a male voice said. “I saw movement.”

Saw!

There was muttering and shouting from others but she couldn’t make anything out.

“Is someone in there?” The voice asked. “I can see you. We’re just looking for food. Can you help us?”

Fear hit her like a bucket of ice water and she froze.

A hand wiped at the window, but it was so filthy with grime that it made little noticeable difference. To her.

“I think it’s just a kid.”

More muttering.

“Hey, kid, is anyone in there with you? There’s a few of us out here. They’re all blind, but I can see. You’ll be safe with us. Is that…is that tins of food I can see in there?”

He began to bang against the window, looking for a way to open it.

‘Open this fucking window you little shit.”

She looked to the stairs, wishing for her dad to appear but the door stayed locked, the only sound came from the man outside. She began to cry.

“I’ll put a fucking brick through it and drag you out if you don’t fucking open it.”

She snuck away out of view and looked to the door again. She could sneak out now and hide. Dad wouldn’t be angry if she did it to stay safe, would he? Maybe if the man got some tins of dog he’d just go away again.

She tried the door but it was locked from outside.

“Last chance.”

She was panicking now, teary, stomach churning. She ran back to the window and screamed, LEAVE ME ALONE.

The window shattered. A rock struck her in the eye, knocking her off her feet.

“I told you. Last chance. Gimme those tins of food and anything else you got, or imma climb in there and take more than that from you, you get me?”

She looked up at the man as best she could. One eye was swollen shut now and she could barely see past the tears in the other one. He was trying to look into the basement while avoiding the glass sticking out of the window frame.

“The tins of food, over there,” he said, reaching carefully through the window and pointing at the cardboard box that passed as a cupboard. “Pass them over, nice and easy.”

She got to her feet, despite her head spinning from the blow from the rock, and wandered over to the tins. This man didn’t know she could see. She wiped her eyes, wincing at the pain, and took a deep breath. She had an idea, but she would have to be brave. She felt her way blindly along the shelf towards the box, picked it up and carried it over.

“That’s it, bring it a little closer. Hold it up higher, so I can - “

She let the box slip, spilling the contents to the floor.

“You stupid little bitch, I almost had it. Christ. Can you pick ‘em up? There’s two right at your feet.”

Be brave.

She squatted down, feeling around the floor. Her hand found a tin. That was all she needed. She stood up and held the tin out.

The man reached carefully through the window again. “A bit closer. Closer. That’s it.”

She dropped the tin, and opened her good eye, looking directly into his own.

“The fuck?”

She grabbed his arm and pulled him down as hard as she could. Shards of glass sliced his arm open and then sunk into his neck. His eyes bulged wide as his last breath garbled from his open throat.

Confused shouting drifted in from outside. The rest of the group wanted to know what was happening. They began pulling on the rope that tied them all together. It caused the man’s head and arm to jerk back and forth. She stared in horror at the sight until the shards of glass that impaled the man, snapped, and he was dragged out of view.

She climbed up to risk looking out. The small group outside were panicked and confused. They had now realised their guide was, literally, dead weight. Eventually they managed to untie him and stumbled off into their world of darkness.

She tidied up the tins of food and put them all back in their place. Her stomach churned at the thought of them. She was lost as to what else to do so she sat on the floor and hugged her legs. And stared at the broken, blood soaked window.

She was still there when night descended, and the cold air began to creep in. It’s where dad found her. And held her. And listened to her emotionless re-telling of events. She wiped the tears from his eyes and told him everything was going to be okay. In the land of the blind the one-eyed girl would be Queen.