Original Stories Fan Fiction ❯ Seeing All and Nothing ❯ Pandemonium ( Chapter 1 )

Seeing All and Nothing

 

Chapter One:

 

Pandemonium

 

The Night Manager wandered around anxiously, hoping to find a glimpse of another. The store was desolate as far as he could see. The lights were monotonous and flickering as if straining to provide what little light existed for him to find his way through the darkness. Scott looked around once again, searching. Although the grocery store wasn't great, the vastness of being alone there seemed to seep into his very being, inducing a sense of being threatened; as if the darkness would come to life and tear him to pieces at any moment.

 

He walked on, passing each aisle after glancing down it, knowing if there was something there, it would be hidden in the shadows. He stopped just before reaching aisle four: frozen foods and medicine. To his right the meat department looked colder then usual. Wiping away beads of sweat from his forehead, Scott took a deep breath.

 

“Dylan, are you in here?” his tenor voice echoed around the void. For a moment, there was only silence.

 

“Scott? Is that you?” Another emerged from the gloom just a few aisles ahead, looking just as lost. It was, of course, the Night Manager's younger brother, Dylan.

 

The notorious pair were only two years apart: Scott being 18, Dylan being 16, and were often, to their amusement, mistaken for one another. There were minute differences, however, that set them apart. Scott was tall with short dark brunette hair that fell loosely over his forehead and wore thick, black-framed glasses over intense, cerulean-gray eyes. Dylan was also tall, but with dark russet hair that was noticeably longer then his brother's, his glasses weren't quite as thick, and his eyes were a hypnotic indigo with a green hue.

 

“What's going on? Where is everyone?” Dylan asked.

 

“I'm not sure.” Scot thought for a moment, then added. “Did you see anyone else before the lights went out?”

 

“I think Matt left, but that was a while ago. Sammy was at the front desk, and I think Dillon's still here somewhere.” He replied, referring to Scott's girlfriend and the other stocker for the night. “What do we do now?”

 

Just as Scott was about to answer, Sammy walked from aisle five, looking around. She was just a head shorter then Scott, had short, chin-length white-blonde hair that flowed out at the ends. She also wore thin-framed black-rimmed glasses over intuitive, sparkling sapphire eyes.

 

“Well, this sucks. What happened to the lights?” She questioned, unable to finish closing the service desk without them. The three of them were wearing the standard Peotone Country Market attire: a pair of black pants, a wine-red colored shirt with a folded collar, and a typical black apron with three pockets.

 

“I don't know...” Scott trailed off, hushing them momentarily, and listened. “What's that?”

 

An incessant ticking noise reverberated thought the store, becoming louder and louder until it was nearly thunderous. The trio followed the sound, wondering where it was coming from.

 

They were lead to the back room where everything was stored before being placed on the shelf for consumers to purchase. The noise became deafening. Gently, Dylan pulled the cooler door open, where the sound seemed to originate. As soon as the large, metal door opened, everyone was enveloped in a blinding blue light. It fell upon them like water during a monsoon, taking over everything in its path. It seemed to ooze from the very depth of the cooler. Nothing like it was ever seen before. Each of them involuntarily held their arms up in defense and closed their eyes, but to no avail. In only a matter of seconds, they were submerged.