Waking Up Blind

He stretches, yawns, then rubs his eyes before opening them.

'Huh? What? Is it still night,' he thought peering them wider. "Is the power out??" He feels around at himself and the bed. The place was pitch black. 'Where's my phone,' he thought scattering his hand over the bed searching for it. He feels its slender frame, he grabs a whole of it. "This is weird," he mumbles.

He holds it to his face pressing the power button. "Huh?! Is it on, I can't tell??...Wait, is the battery dead." He remembers just using it last night before falling asleep. (He left it at 60%). What's going on he thinks, he extends his legs from the bed confused. "I should get the lights." He stands feeling for the switch. {Flick!… Flick!?... FLICK-FLICK!!??} Nothing… "What's going on??"

He moves to the door feeling around. He exits the room grabbing at the house walls. "I could have sworn I saw some light there a while ago," he remarks. "Good thing I know my house," he pondered as he held at the walls leading himself to the living room. {Bang! Shuffle-shuffle pling!} He heard something tumbling in the kitchen. Huh!!? He was alerted! "Damn why can't I see anything, is this a black out." He exudes in frustration.

{Shuffle Shuffle bang!} The noise echoed again. 'There's something there!' He wondered, but his place was sealed shut before going to bed, and he's the only one there in his apartment. He slowly moves to the direction of the sound cautiously and unnerved. He held firmly at the wall guiding his hand along. {Trip!} "Ugh." He snags his toe on something, he stumbles. It felt like his glass shelf rack. He continues going around the furniture. He pulls up near the kitchen, he takes a breath mustering up before going further, we could only imagine how terrifying this situation was, knowing you live alone but real sounds were coming from your kitchen, and to make matters worse, he couldn't see a thing. What was he to expect, a person…an animal…a GHOST!

He sighs and hesitantly turns the corner… {Bang pling-pling bang scatter!!} A raccoon bursts through the mesh in his window scurrying outside. He felt a chill breeze sweep in. "Huh? The window was open??" he queried. 'When did I- was it left unlocked?!' he wondered.

{Ring-ring-ring…!} His home phone rings. He turns his head in that direction, he slowly makes off to get it… he reaches the living room, but just as he expected, it stopped ringing before he could answer. He sighs… If only he could see to redial the number, it must've been someone he was expecting. 'Wait phone!!' It struck him, if he could only get through to his sister… "Damn." He feels at his pocket and retrieves his phone… He stares down at his hand though seeing nothing. How will he find her contact, it would be much easier if he had recently called her or the other way around. At least that would have been one obstacle out the way. He feels and sits in his couch brainstorming…what will his next action be?...… {Tick…Tock…} The clock on the wall worked. Some time passed… having that moment to stop and think helped him to realize the graveness of his situation. Just before, he felt the wind from the kitchen window, and that light he could almost perceive…that means he's-…

[Ding-Dong!} His doorbell rings. Bad timing, who could that be he thought. He slowly feels over to the door. 'Wait maybe I can have them help me dial my sister's number.' The thought hit him. {Ding-Dong!} He gets the door, it slowly opens from the other side. He shrinks back a little.

"Good morning sir, here to deliver your package." A delivery guy dressed in black and read at the door, he wore a funny looking hat. "I'll need your signature for the package here." He states handing him a pen.

He didn't even realize. 'Oh great!' He thought, 'Now another thing that requires my eyes.' He turns to the guy. "Hey look, here's the money," he feels at the counter to the left of the door. "Can we skip the signature today?" he hands him the money and shuffles the package away from him. He drops it inside feeling his pocket.

The delivery man looks down at the money in his hand. TWENTY DOLLARS!? ($20). It was twelve dollars ($12) more than the registered payment.

"Hey can you do something for me?" "Can you scroll through my contacts and dial my sister's number, it's saved as sis??" "Kinda have an eye problem right now- y-you could say I'm blind."

The man looks up at him?… He was handing him the phone. The delivery guy looks back down at the money again. 'This is more than the required amount, he didn't say he's giving a tip- normally we'd give their change and let them say it is. But if this guy's really blind…he just shuffled for the money a while ago?... But still- I've always come here to deliver and he was fine?' "Ah- sir stop kidding around." He remarks politely. "Anyway I've gotta go, more to deliver- have a nice day."

"Wait!" He calls at him. "Dial my sister's number first- this is serious!" The man freezes. "I need your help- gimme a hand." He states. The delivery guy slowly turns back taking his outstretched phone still staring at him... The number dials…he puts the phone at his ear… {Ringing…ringing…} His sister picks up, "Hello."

"Hello- sis??" He frantically calls listening for her voice, he seemed relieved and glad. "Hey- what's up, why are you not at work?" "Today's my day off" He imparts. "Oh yeahh, I forgot- good for you." She states seeming envious. "Wait- why do you sound so restless?" She queries. "I got a situation, I think I might be going blind- or I am blind!?" He adds. There was a pause and silence over the phone. The delivery man having fulfilled his task slowly walks away still looking at him. His door was left opened.

"What are you kidding me??" She states not taking him seriously.

"I can't see anything right now, i-its pitch black…I think I'm blind- I'm scared. I woke up this way." He imparts.

She goes quiet… "Ah-um- where are you right now?"

"I'm in the living room."

"That's weird," she remarks... "Okay- ah- stay put…I'm at work, I'll see if I can get my boss to relieve me. I'll be there soon." She now sounded a bit worried and confused.

"O-Okay…" he replies. {crack} the phone hangs up.

He goes back and sits in the couch with his palms folded below his chin as if praying. How did this happen he thought, is this some kind of condition, was it because of my phone-no way, how is this even possible, do I have some kind of unknown ailment, does it run in the family?? He sat brainstorming to himself having no clue how this came to befall him. He started to consider everything. 'Come to think of it- I felt a strong warmth from the sunlight which basked my skin as soon as I opened the front door. So it's definitely morning, my sister at work and that delivery guy confirms it, plus the birds chirping and that morning wind you can't mistake…' he sighs. How Could This Have Happened To Me?

There was dark presence looming in his room as it felt like something was watching him…

Shuffle...shuffle...

His sister comes in... "Hey uuh- I was just about to ring your doorbell. That's weird, why is your front door left open...Blake??" She questions.

"Aw... What- it is, whatever just come here?" He signals in his direction seeming more concerned about his situation.

She rests her bag down on the couch approaching over, she sits turning her face to him. She sighs preparing herself for what's to come. He covered his face with his hands apparently frustrated.

"Let me see." His sister states caringly. She slowly removes his hands from his face... Silence pervaded the room....

"H-How is it...Avena?" He asks concernedly.

"Your eyes..." She states pausing every few. "They're-...your sclera looks yellow, and your pupil- your lens...there all...I donno- it's just a black dot- THEY'RE ALL GONE?!" Avena was dumbfounded.

He didn't know what to say, or how to react to this alarming news!... It was the strangest thing he's ever heard... 'What tha f...' He thought, 'just last night...I seemed fine!!?'

"Maybe we should get to the doctor right away." Avena imparts.

"Yea- but what would they say, is this thing even normal, is it a type of disease...my eyes don't feel any different?" Blake was on edge.

"I'm not sure, I'd have to browse for any information I may find...but it is weird." She replies... "Did anything happen to you last night, was there any strange feelings or sensations that you've never felt before??"

Blake went quiet... "Well..." he remarks thinking back...

A flashback of last night...

It was around 9 PM. He placed a bowl of cereal on his bedside table and booted on his laptop. The first thing he saw was some emails from work. He sighs browsing over some notifications from that new website he just created. He wasn't getting any sort of traffic, where was he going wrong? He closes them one after the other; even his Wattpad stories wasn't getting any views really. He thought of sharing his life story, but maybe he wasn't all that good of a writer... His eyes peer in on something, there was a suspicious spam mail just sitting amongst the others. The message icon kept rattling as if signalling to open it... 'Wait- isn't this a spam mail,' he thinks. He slowly hovers the cursor over to it, as it pulled closer his indecision soared...the cereal sinks into the milk...!! {Dm!} Power goes out...he looks up!? It returns, the light flickers...he gazes around the room, then rests the laptop down on the bed. The cursor was just above that email. Blake moved towards his TV, the red light on it kept blinking? He looks towards the door, light was peeping under. 'Did I leave the bathroom lights on??' He questions opening the door...!!! HIS WHOLE HOUSE WAS LIT UP!! He hesitantly steps out in the passage looking astounded. His expression painted his state of bewilder... His footsteps slowly move towards the stairs.... "Blake?"...

"Blake?... Blake!?"

He comes back to...

"Well...?" Avena remarks.

Blake sighs completely confused feeling like he's the most unfortunate guy on earth. He had a lost gesture about him. This just happened out of the blues, it must be some sort of punishment from the universe he assured himself.

Avena realized, she tried not to press the issue. "Let's try to get dressed and have your eyes examined."

He turns to her...she shrinks back startled... He could sense it; she suddenly went quiet after stuttering a bit. He closes his eyes and sighs turning his head down in front.

"Ah- I'm sorry." She states in redress. "Your eyes- it's- just that...th-there kinda creepy." She muttered a bit withdrawn, of course she felt awful.

"Is it even worth it?" He imparts continuing the convo breaking that moment of awkwardness. "When I really look at it- hm funny...'look at it.' Anyway based on all we've said I kinda feel like I know the outcome. Let's just forget the doctor for now, if I'm already blind it's a lost cause." He was now having mixed emotions, feeling sorry for himself. It seemed he was a shamed; Blake was embarrassed about the whole situation. Going out in a crowd, being led around, now that he thought about it how could he go around like that.

"We at least need to have a practitioner look at it." His sister makes clear. Of course he knew that, the sooner the better that's what he wanted...but... "Come on Blake don't be stubborn, it's for your own good- what if it can be reversed??! I can't leave you like that. We have to find out what caused this...what if it's really a family thing??"

'Highly doubt that...' he pondered to himself, 'I know some of my family don't have fantastic eye sights but this is way out of the ordinary. I was more than okay last night...' He leans back hanging his head over the couch. 'Leave it to Avena to be so optimistic.' He then cracks a faint smile. "Fine, I'll go find some clothes." He moves off feeling around.

"Wait- I'll come help you." His sister states reaching at him; he turns the corner and exists the room. As he shuffled upstairs to his room a sudden chill came over him, his body shivers...Blake pauses...

[9: 27 AM] Clothes were laid about, he rattles through the hangers. "What's taking Avena so lo-..."

"Blake?"

"Huh!?" He turns facing the direction of her voice. "Come on let's hurry, before I change my mind again." He threatens harmlessly... "What took you so...long...?" ...He turns his head back curiously. "Avena?"... The room was quite, he could have sworn she just called his name. A subtle awkward chill was felt in the air again... He takes up a rack with his jacket-

"Blake!" {Bum!} The half closed door bursts in, he was somewhat startled.

"Sorry about that." Avena states, I got a message from the office about a little something. He place down the rack.

"Okay let's get started- gonna wear that one?" She remarks.

{Ring-ring!!} His phone goes off downstairs interrupting.

"I'll go get it." His sister offers promptly. She leaves the room.

He turns back around with his head hung.... "Uh!!!? I could've sworn I saw something- if even just for a second there...i-it's like my eyes lit up a little?"

(to be continued...)